Jordan Tillson had an early taste of playing at some of Scotland’s biggest grounds at near full capacity, but the Ross County midfielder is preparing for a different reality next season.
Englishman Tillson joined the Staggies in January, after ending his spell with Exeter City, where he had spent his entire senior career.
After less than two weeks with the Staggies, Tillson was pitched into an Old Firm double-header away to Celtic and Rangers within the space of four days, playing in front of more than 100,000 fans over the two fixtures.
Tillson was on the losing side on both occasions, with County going down 3-0 at Parkhead before suffering a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.
With the Premiership season scheduled to begin behind closed doors on August 1, Tillson expects a drastically changed landscape.
The Dingwall midfielder said: “It was quite a surreal feeling, as these were the two biggest games you can play here.
“It was just funny how it worked that week when we had the two games against them both.
“I loved every minute of playing in front of those big crowds, and it was nice to be part of that.
“They are experiences I’m looking to build upon for next season and hopefully if we can get the fans back into the stadiums it will make it a great occasion again.
“Not having them there is going to be a negative because the fans give so much to games.
“We see it with the adrenaline it forces through people’s bodies and the effect they can have on a player.
“But we have to get back playing and if it means no fans to begin with it’s just a real shame.
“It’s not what any footballer wants to do, they want to play in front of big crowds.
“It’s a disappointing aspect for me personally because I enjoy playing in front of those big crowds, but it’s just one of those things we have to deal with to begin with.”
Although playing behind closed doors will be a greater shift from the norm for Celtic and Rangers, Tillson feels both Old Firm sides have the quality to cope with the absence of fans.
The 27-year-old added: “For them it’s going to be even stranger than it is for us, but they have got such good players and it’s such a strong league.
“I think it’s a level where they are good enough players to deal with whatever situation they are put in front of. They will just have to get their head around it and I’m sure they will.”
Among Tillson’s highlights from his eight-year spell at Exeter was an FA Cup tie against Liverpool, in which the Grecians took Jurgen Klopp’s side to a replay.
Tillson hopes to enjoy more memorable moments north of the border, adding: “We played Port Vale in the second round and I scored. Then we played Liverpool at home which was obviously a great occasion. We held them to a 2-2 draw at home, but lost the replay 3-0 at Anfield.
“It is a funny sort of situation. I played the game back the other day and realised Ryan Kent of Rangers had played in those matches.
“It’s funny how you stumble across people in your career and then end up playing them again in completely different circumstances.
“It was a great game to be involved in and hopefully, here at Ross County, we can create games and occasions like that as well with good cup runs.
“That’s something I’m looking forward to trying to achieve in the coming season.”