Ross Draper wanted to join Cove Rangers after the effort Paul Hartley went to in order to convince him to sign.
Draper, who joined on a three-year deal with former Caley Thistle and Ross County colleague Iain Vigurs, is another who turned down full-time offers to join Cove.
Hartley came to visit him in Inverness and sold the ambition of the Aberdeen side, who look to be making a big statement with their latest signings.
There was already a personal connection between the two parties too, as Hartley tried to sign Draper when he was in charge at Dundee.
Draper said: “The manager came up all the way from Glasgow to speak to me. He rang me a couple of times and made a real effort to sell the club. He wanted to sign me and I didn’t get that same feeling with the other clubs I was speaking to.
“I spoke to the manager before when he was at Dundee and I was at Inverness. I know there was a connection there as well. The way he plays, positive football and so it was an easy decision.
“I had the chance to stay full-time. I said this to the manager but I wouldn’t have gone part-time with any other club. There is a long-term plan rather than a year-to-year survival of the club.
“They want to be successful and when the chairman is on the same page as the manager and right throughout the club it is a positive thing. It wasn’t a step forward going part-time – I see it as a step forward with the way the club wants to go.”
Draper and Vigurs had been let go by Ross County at the end of the season. They have played together for six years in Dingwall and Inverness and will extend that run at Cove.
It also means Draper starts the transition into the next phase of his professional career: combining football with a full-time job.
He said: “There are options. I am doing a bit of coaching and I am about to learn a trade, for a fallback after football.
🔵 Cove Rangers are delighted to confirm the signing of Ross Draper and Iain Vigurs, who have penned three year deals with the club
👉 https://t.co/DwiMUvaWyO pic.twitter.com/r4hNSVh8JO
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) June 23, 2021
“It is important to look after your family and make sure things are in order now rather than further down the line. It is important to get to the next stage.”
Draper has been in the Highlands for nine years, being signed by Terry Butcher for the Caley Jags in 2012. He won the Scottish Cup with the club in 2015 under John Hughes, before moving over the Kessock Bridge in 2017.
His pre-existing friendship with Vigurs will inevitably help him settle in, as the 32-year-old looks to lead his new club to success.
Draper added: “It is easier when you know somebody coming into the club. There is so much quality and having played with him for a couple of years you see his quality on the ball. It is second to none and especially at this level.
“The boys will see what he brings and he is a big signing for the club. I think we can be successful coming in as a two to an already successful group.”