Nicky Devlin will savour every moment of his first Europa Conference League campaign, but the Aberdeen defender wants more than participation in Europe – he wants progress.
The former Livingston captain has made a fine start to his Dons career and made a stunning impact on his European debut as he scored in the 2-2 draw with BK Hacken in the Europa League play-off first leg.
The wing-back will experience another first tonight when he plays his first home group game in the Conference League against Finnish champions HJK Helsinki.
It promises to be a memorable occasion.
But Devlin wants more than a taste of Europe – he wants qualification for the knockout stages.
Devlin said: “Playing in these competitions, at this level, in a full stadium, was the big attraction of coming to Aberdeen.
“I knew before I signed that we had group stage football.
“It’s good coming to a club knowing that was on offer and that I would be part of it.
“We are looking forward to it, we’re going into it focused on winning.
“You don’t want to be here to just take part in it and enjoy the experience, you want to go as far as you can in the competition.
“We want to make our mark in the group, so this is massive for us because we want to qualify.”
Devlin wants to build on weekend win at Ibrox
Devlin and his team-mates celebrated a famous 3-1 win against Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday.
The 29-year-old believes a similar level of performance will be needed against HJK.
He said: “We believe we can win games in this competition.
“It’s going to take a performance like the one at Ibrox last weekend to get us three points.
“We are under no illusions that to do that you have to pick up points at home.
“That starts on Thursday, but we know how difficult it’s going to be because they are flying high at the top of their league.
“They can win the title again pretty soon, so they will come here full of confidence.
“But we are prepared for them, we have done all our homework and we believe we can get the three points.”
Confidence growing at Dons following Frankfurt showing and domestic run
The Dons took plaudits for their performance in their 2-1 defeat in the opening Group G game away at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Devlin believes the confidence taken by Aberdeen in a losing effort, coupled with a three-game winning run domestically, has fuelled their belief they can make an impact in Europe.
He said: “On paper you were looking at Frankfurt being probably the most difficult game we could have had.
“But we went there and felt unlucky to come back here with no points.
“It showed us we can match those levels and perform at this level.
“We have taken loads of confidence from it, especially coming back home for this game.
“We have to build on the performance against Rangers and use that as a starting point for improving more.
“The last couple of weeks have been a good starting block for us, but that’s all it is – you have to kick on from here.
“You can always get better and that’s what we need to do.
“From when I came in, we were not far away. I think a lot of people thought we were further away than we actually were.
“We always felt that it would take one result or one performance to kick us on.
“I don’t think it was a coincidence that once we got that in Frankfurt, we’ve gone on to win three games in a row.
“We need to build on it now – it’s just a start, because it’s only three games, so we have to keep it going.”
Reds defender wants to get Pittodrie rocking
Europe has certainly captured the imagination of the Aberdeen fans and with a packed Pittodrie set to roar on the Reds once more tonight, Devlin wants to repay that support.
He said: “The fans travelled in their numbers to Germany and now the game here is a sell-out.
“They have been brilliant for us home and away this season. They will be a big factor for us.
“I have seen it a few times already, that if we give them something to cheer and get behind, then this place will be rocking.”
The Dons have assembled a big squad as they juggle European and domestic commitments.
With a larger squad comes a lot of players watching from the sidelines – but Devlin insists the squad is united for the cause.
He said: “The manager has always stressed how everyone will be involved and that it’s a squad game.
“The thing I have noticed is how good the boys who haven’t been playing are around the place.
“Only 11 players can go out and play on a Saturday, or a Thursday in this case, so there are people left out.
“But the ones who are (on the sidelines) have been different class. They’ve been supportive of everyone and it really helps.
“You need that atmosphere of everyone pulling in the same direction and that’s what we will need right through the whole season.”
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