Connor Barron is determined to put three months of injury woe behind him by helping Aberdeen reach the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup.
The midfielder made his return to first-team duty a week ago after missing three months due to a knee injury suffered in pre-season.
He followed his substitute appearance in the 4-0 defeat at Dundee United by starting Sunday’s 2-0 win against Hearts at Pittodrie.
The Scotland under-21 international was a regular member of Jim Goodwin’s starting 11 last season and is determined to play a major role in this campaign.
He said: “It’s been a long 12 weeks not playing but I’m delighted to be back out there. It wasn’t the greatest of games, it was one we had to dig deep and win our battles but we did that.
“The injury came at a bad time. I had just started the season when it happened up at Buckie in a friendly.
“I had a niggle before in my knee so I knew what to expect.
“I tried to force it too early and it didn’t work out so I’ve made sure I’ve worked hard to come back stronger and having 90 minutes under my belt will be a huge benefit.
“I want to play every game for this club and put in good performances to help the team win football matches.”
Hearts win vital after Dundee United defeat
Barron’s return to the starting 11 coincided with a return to winning ways for the Dons as they beat Hearts at Pittodrie.
The midfielder knows it was important to pick up all three points following the heavy defeat at Dundee United in their previous outing.
He said: “It was a massive team performance. We really dug deep to get the three points so it’s all positive.
“But you can’t dwell on winning or losing games as it can all turn quickly as we’ve seen in the past.
“We need to keep working hard in training and make sure we get things right week from week.
“The Dundee United game was disappointing and we all know we let the club, the gaffer and the fans who came along down.
“But it’s about how you react to defeats and we came together as a team and made sure we went into our preparation for Hearts with the right mentality.
“We changed shape and it worked but we’re a versatile team.
“We can play different players in different positions and if we need to play three, five or four at the back we can do that.”
More to come from Duk
Former Benfica striker Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes also started the game and scored one and set up the other for Vicente Besuijen before departing to a rousing reception.
Barron is not surprised to see Duk make a positive impression on the Aberdeen supporters.
He said: “Duk has been brilliant since he came in.
“He maybe lacked some fitness in the first couple of weeks but he has been coming off the bench and doing well, and he deserved his start.
“He responded by showing the fans what he can do. We all know how good a player he is and we’re pleased he showed that against Hearts.”
Barron craves League Cup semi-final date
Following the victory against the Jambos which takes the Dons up to fourth in the Premiership focus now turns to tomorrow’s League Cup semi-final against Partick Thistle at Pittodrie.
Barron would love nothing more than to help the Dons earn a place in the last four of the competition and with it a semi-final tie at the National Stadium.
He said: “It’s a massive game against Partick Thistle and we’re not going to underestimate them at all. We take each game the same, even this one where there is a chance to play in the semi-final.
“Hopefully we can win it and take the fans with us to Hampden.”
Conversation