Scott Vernon played alongside Calvin Zola in the formative years of his career but now the Englishman is in direct competition with Zola for a place in the Aberdeen starting line-up.
A decade ago, the two played up front together for Oldham Athletic. But Dons manager Derek McInnes’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation means the former double act is now jostling for the lone forward role.
However, Vernon reckons the pair could cause plenty of problems for defences if they are given the chance to play together again.
He said: “I know Calvin well. We were team-mates when we were younger at Oldham when he was on loan from Newcastle, so I know his strengths and what he’s all about.
“I knew it was going to be tough but I had to stick to my game and, hopefully, it pays off with a few goals and a run in the team.
“People will look at us and say we are not the typical kind of forwards you would play together. That’s probably still the case but we played alongside each other a few times when we were at Oldham. Ideally, we would prefer to play with a smaller guy off us that compliments our game. But if we get the chance to play together I am sure it would work as well.”
Injury will curtail Zola’s involvement in today’s match against Dundee United at Pittodrie, so Vernon hopes he will be handed the chance to help the Dons back to winning ways after a 1-0 defeat by Ross County before the international break.
He said: “The break probably came at a bad time for us because we wanted to put right the last few results quickly. It’s always frustrating when you can’t do that but we will be aiming to bounce back against Dundee United and get back to the level of per- formance we showed last month.”
Vernon, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was the Dons’ top scorer during his first two years at the club but struggled to find the net last season in a campaign in which he was in and out of the team and frequently played out of position.
The Englishman admitted his confidence was dented by his failure to find the net but, with four goals already this season, he is feeling more positive about his football again.
He added: “You want to be playing in your regular position and scoring goals.
“I am no different to any forward – I breed off confidence. I feel a lot better in recent weeks after finding the net a few times. I am out of contract at the end of the season. It’s lingering at the back of my mind. I need to keep working hard to try to win a new contract.”
Law on Dons, Page 57