Lapping up the adulation of a jubilant Aberdeen crowd at Pittodrie has made Jayden Richardson hungry for more.
Right-back Richardson, who joined the Dons from Nottingham Forest in the summer, was part of the side which defeated St Mirren 4-1 in their first home league game last weekend.
The victory prompted a euphoric response from the 14,420 crowd who assembled for the match.
Richardson, who played the entirety of his career in England prior to joining the Reds, has been taken aback by the scale of his new club.
The Nottingham-born player is determined to give the Dons support plenty more reason to cheer – starting in today’s home match against Motherwell.
He said: “The fanbase is amazing up here. I didn’t know it was this big.
“The fans at the last home game were amazing. They really helped us get the win and I can’t thank them enough.
“The crowd are a massive factor for us in games. If they are supporting us when we are taking risks and playing out, it will give us more belief in ourselves.
“Things have been going well so far. We want to build momentum from that win.”
Defender keen to test himself against Scottish football’s best
Richardson has played the full 90 minutes in both of the Dons’ league matches so far.
Jim Goodwin’s men opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Celtic at Parkhead, ahead of last weekend’s win over the Buddies.
Although the Hoops encounter laid bare the quality he will be tested against in Scotland, Richardson is determined to ensure the Reds hold their own in every match.
The 21-year-old added: “There are quality players in this league and you can really see it.
“Every game is a hard game. It’s the biggest crowd I have played in front of (at Celtic Park).
“But if we focus on ourselves and how we play and bond together, then hopefully our playing style will help us in every game.
“Celtic was a tough game for us. We hadn’t been long together, but hopefully we can make up for that result when we play them again.
“We have them again down the line and we just have to do our best in every game we play.”
New-look squad must gel quickly
Richardson is among 11 new faces brought to the Dons by Goodwin during the course of the summer.
It marks a major rebuild of the Pittodrie squad, after finishing 10th in the Premiership in a bitterly disappointing campaign last term.
Having been among the early arrivals this summer, Richardson insists he has had no issues adapting.
He added: “In this league, there can be no excuses. We have had time to gel together.
“People are still coming in even after the season has started, so it is a new squad.
“It will take time for us all to get to know each other, but we are working hard and hopefully that will show in our performances.
“Going to Spain for pre-season helped the first bunch of players who arrived.
“Being out there together really helped us to gel.
“But Joe Lewis has been organising team meals and as the season progresses we can only get stronger.
“There are 11 new players in the squad and that’s a lot, but there are no excuses. We just have to crack on.”
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