Aberdeen goalkeeper Scott Brown says there has been no one more helpful to him in settling at the club than the man he is keeping out of the team.
The 29-year-old Brown will make his fifth successive start at Partick Thistle tomorrow after replacing Jamie Langfield as Dons number one. But the former Cheltenham Town player says he has received a huge amount of support and guidance from Langfield.
He said: “It is difficult as only one of us can play but Jamie has been brilliant. Jim Leighton has been away with Scotland under-21s this week and Jamie has been taking the sessions. We have had some great sessions. We both work hard.
“I have been left out of a team before during my career and Jamie has had that as well. It is part and parcel of football.
“The important thing is how you react. You just need to keep working hard and hopefully stay in the team for as long as possible. Jamie is a credit to himself.
“He is working hard and desperate to get back in the team. If I am not working hard, training well and playing well then I know Jamie will be straight back in.
“It is great competition and he has been a huge help to me.”
Brown has kept four clean sheets in his five Dons appearances, although his last match ended in disappointment with a 2-1 home defeat by Celtic.
The Englishman believes he still has plenty of work to do to establish himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at Pittodrie.
He added: “I am just carrying on doing what I have done throughout my career, which is take each game as it comes. Hopefully, I have done enough in the game before to get selected for the following game.
“I need to keep working hard in training. All I do is keep my head down, continue to work hard and, hopefully, stay in the team.
“You want to play in every game but the manager picks the team.
“You have to understand his decisions and take each game as it comes.
“All I can do is work hard.”