Peter Leven on the family sacrifices for Aberdeen FC coaching path that led to Hampden

Peter Leven has had to make significant sacrifices to get this far in his coaching career.

That is why he is determined that Aberdeen will make their mark at Hampden this weekend. The interim boss will lead the Dons out in Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final looking to upset the odds against Celtic. It will be the biggest match of Leven’s coaching career, in terms of him being the manager and making the big decisions.

The 40-year-old has coached in England, Scotland, Belarus and Russia. He has kept his home in Newcastle and that has meant long spells away from his wife and daughter. Aberdeen is just under five hours away from them and Leven said: “My family’s in Newcastle. It’s better than Russia, so I get to see them more than when I lived abroad for four years. We met mostly in Warsaw, which was a little bit handier. We had a few weekends there.

“In Russia you have the whole of December off and the first half of January because it’s too cold to play. So you get the whole of Christmas off, which was nice.

“My family come up to the Edinburgh games and the Glasgow games. It can be difficult at times but when I’m up here I’m fully focused on the club and the training.”

Leven is now a decade into his coaching career. It saw him kick off at the Middlesbrough Academy then become assistant manager to Lee McCulloch at Kilmarnock. After that he was a a No.2 in successful spells with Dynamo Brest and Orenburg, under Marcel Licka. H

He helped Brest to win the Belarussian title and qualify for the Champions League. Then in Russia he helped Orenburg win promotion to their top-flight. He believes he is a better coach for those overseas experiences.

Leven acknowledged: “You have to travel (as a football coach). I wanted to go away abroad and learn - a different culture, different football - and I really enjoyed it. I think it’s helped a lot.”

He returned to Scottish football in the summer when Barry Robson took him to become first-team coach at Aberdeen. He took interim charge and led Aberdeen to an impressive 1-1 draw with Celtic before he handed over to Neil Warnock. He was then asked to step back in when the veteran Englishman decided to hastily exit, after leading Aberdeen into the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

“I’ve always said I’d do anything for the club,” the Dons caretaker passionately stated. "I’m here, taking charge of the team, and I’ll always do my best.”

Leven will now remain in the hot seat for the remainder of the season with Elfsborg manager Jimmy Thelin set to move to Pittodrie in the summer. Leven is enjoying the experience and eventually wants to go out in his own right.

Leven confirmed: “I’ve always wanted to be a manager and that’s why I’ve never turned it down. I’m enjoying it and hopefully one day I’ll get my chance. But I just love being on the grass coaching as well. It’s a great club and I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

He hopes it will continue and he can lead Aberdeen to their second cup final of the season. He was part of Robson’s team that lost the Viaplay Cup Final to Rangers.