McINNES: STEWART CAN BE OUR LEADING MAN
FROM BACK PAGE he snubbed other options to join the Reds for the rest of the season.
Stewart’s decision to return to Pittodrie where he enjoyed a stint last term is a blow to Kilmarnock who’d hoped to land the 28-year-old after he excelled at Rugby Park in the first half of the season.
And McInnes believes the playmaker will become a key man for him ahead of today’s Scottish Cup clash with Stenhousemuir.
He said: “Greg had offers from elsewhere but chose us which says a lot about him and Aberdeen.
“I’m looking forward to him being a prominent player for us in the second half of the season.
“He’s a player we enjoyed working with before and he’s been in fantastic form recently. Hopefully he can carry that on for Aberdeen.”
Dons star Mark Reynolds, 31, is also in the squad as he looks to ensure it is the cup of cheer after six months of injury hell.
The defender is ready to show he still has a big part to play as he returns to the fold for the first time since suffering cruciate ligament damage in a pre-season game with Cove Rangers.
Reynolds said: “Being out injured for so long means you come back with more of an appreciation of winning things.
“The Scottish Cup is the one we’ve been very close to winning but not done it yet. We will go into this game taking it as seriously as we take every other match.”