Anthony is aiming for redemption
ANTHONY O’CONNOR is out to end his personal nightmare from last year’s League Cup Final defeat against Celtic – by winning the trophy this season.
The Dons defender’s form has been so impressive recently that Derek McInnes has already started talks on an extended contract.
Signs are encouraging that the former Blackburn and Burton Albion player will stay longer, but he has other things on his mind right now.
Aberdeen are at Motherwell in Thursday’s League Cup quarter-final and O’Connor has a major motivation to make sure the run doesn’t end there.
He admits conceding a penalty in last season’s 3-0 cup final defeat to Celtic was a low point the Irishman is determined to get out of his system.
O’Connor said: “This is the happiest I’ve been in football and I’m more than happy to be here.
“But, personally, losing that final was the biggest disappointment, because I gave away a penalty on the day.
“It was a sickener knowing you’ve done that, as you feel like you’ve let your team-mates down.
“I’d thought about that game for weeks as it was in my head, but I remember the staff taking the mickey out of me later.
“That was after I said on the radio I’d been living like a monk since the final and hadn’t left my bed for days.
“But that has spurred me on to reach the final again. If we do that, we’ll see how we get on this time.”
O’Connor is quite happy to admit he is obsessive, and a bit of football geek, in his quest to improve as a player.
That’s why the Irishman spends most of his spare time studying opponents and trying to learn from some of the game’s greatest defenders.
He added:“If you watched the way I am at home you’d think I was a bit of a nut job.
“If there’s a game on the TV I’ll watch it whether it’s a Championship game or League One in England.
“As the gaffer says, I’m just a bit of a geek as I even watch things on YouTube about the likes of Nemanja Vidic, John Terry and Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid.
“These are players I look up to. I try to take different bits of their game and add them to mine, as I want to play better every week.”