Jordon Brown hopes familiarity breeds content after making a return to Peterhead from Cove Rangers.
Former Aberdeen youngster Brown was released by Cove before Christmas and fielded several calls from interested parties after it was announced.
However, after discussions with his former manager Jim McInally, it became obvious that a Balmoor return was the right option.
Brown played more than 150 times for the club between 2013 and 2018, before leaving to join Cove two years ago.
The presence of his brother, Jason, at Peterhead also helped matters as he looked favourably on a return to familiar territory.
“With him (Jason) being there I still know what’s going on at Peterhead,” said Brown. “A lot of the backroom staff hasn’t really changed. The manager is there, Davie Nicholls (assistant), Stuart Hogg (fitness coach) and the chairman are still there. There’s a lot of familiar faces.
“It’s feeling that trust again, to want to be as successful as you can be for these people again. It sounds a bit of a cliché but it feels very homely up there and there’s a lot of good people.
“I had a few phone calls the night it got announced. When I spoke to Jim – he’s someone I trust and know really well, having been here for five years.
“It’s a bit of a no-brainer, especially with my brother Jason being here as well. I went up to the game last Tuesday to see all the boys and I got a good welcome.”
Brown’s time at Cove came to a disappointing end, having helped the club win promotion to the SPFL but then barely featured during their time in League One and League Two.
Mrs Brown's Boys – Does anyone know what they are up to on Saturday?
— Peterhead FC (@pfcofficial) December 29, 2020
The 28-year-old felt he had to make the decision to leave and had it not been for external circumstances, that call could have come sooner.
He added: “I still felt I could contribute to the team and a lot of my good friends are there. It’s not going to be easy at Peterhead as there’s a lot of good players but just about having that trust again – trying to affect the game and get on the pitch again scoring goals.
“I think if we hadn’t had the pandemic, I would have had a bigger decision to make in the summer. When minutes are limited sometimes it’s too far out of your hands and I can’t put into words how frustrating it’s been.
“If it wasn’t for the boys there and the pandemic, I would probably have had to leave sooner.”
Brown hopes to be registered in time to feature in Peterhead’s game on Saturday, which ironically would be against Cove at the Balmoral.
His deal would initially be to the end of the season, however he has hopes of something longer-term after that.
“A couple of Cove boys have been on at me – a lot of them are my best pals, in and out of football,” added Brown. “I’ve not started a league game in a long time and don’t expect to start on Saturday.
“But I hope to be involved. I’m not naïve – I’ve taken on a lot in the last 18 months and know I’ll have a fight to get on the pitch. When I do, I just hope I can have an impact.
“Saturday would be good but I’m looking more longer term, build the fitness up week by week and get in the starting line-up as the weeks go on.”