The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dons midfielder has his eyes on the prize
A chance to win silverware early in the season is a huge incentive for Aberdeen midfielder Stephen Gleeson.
The revamp of the Betfred Cup two years ago brought the final forward from March to the autumn, with the Dons playing in the final against Celtic in November 2016.
Last year, the Pittodrie side exited in the quarter-finals of the competition against Motherwell, who went on to lose to eventual winners Celtic in the final.
One of the big draws for Irish midfielder Gleeson coming to Aberdeen was the chance to win silverware, which is a more realistic prospect than being one of the 92 league clubs in England vying for success in their equivalent competition.
Gleeson has little in the way of memorable cup moments, something he intends to put right this season as Aberdeen start their bid for glory in the Betfred Cup at home to St Mirren this afternoon.
He said: “It’s a chance to win a cup for everyone still in it. We’re no different. We want to go far in this cup and hopefully win it.
“We’re treating this as the Burnley games or as the Rangers or Dundee games. We’re treating it exactly the same.”
He added: “It’s strange, coming in for pre-season and you see the teams already in the cup. I was asking: ‘Why aren’t we involved straight away?’
“It’s obviously because we were in Europe but then we come into it and if we win on Saturday we’re into the quarter-finals.
“Down south, you’re in the first round and you have to win seven or eight games to get into the final. It’s definitely an opportunity. It’s a big opportunity for every club.
“If you win a cup in December it can only spur you on to bigger and better things. It can give you that confidence as well.
“We’re no different and we’re definitely looking to go far in this competition.”
He added: “I’ve played in League Cup games and I’ve played in derbies. We drew Aston Villa when I was at Birmingham – that was massive down south. It was the draw of coming up here – the European games, the cup games. It’s something we’re looking to go far in and hopefully Saturday is the start of a cup run.”
Gleeson has been playing catch-up after a pre-season injury against St Johnstone, which thankfully for the 30-year-old kept him out for less than a fortnight.
He said: “To miss just 10 days was a kind of blessing. I think at the start we feared the worst.
“We went to see all the necessary people. To miss just two weeks was kind of a blessing.
“In a way, I was disappointed not to be involved but looking at the bigger picture I was quite lucky.
“I’m back up to speed now but I’m just trying to get games under my belt now because I missed a few in pre-season.”
The hosts will be without Scott McKenna, Greg Tansey, Mark Reynolds and Tommie Hoban for the game, with James Wilson, who picked up an ankle complaint playing for Manchester United under-23s last Friday, hopeful of playing some part in the game.
Meanwhile, Cammy Smith is in no doubt he returns to Aberdeen a better player than when he left and is determined to leave Pittodrie today showing St Mirren can mix it with the best in Scotland.
The 22-year-old made 91 appearances for Aberdeen before leaving for Paisley in January 2017, initially on loan before making the move permanent.
St Mirren’s fortunes have rocketed since he moved to a team rooted to the bottom of the Ladbrokes Championship and he returns to his first club as a Premiership player again.
“I am looking forward to going back to Pittodrie again but I am fully focused on getting a result for St Mirren,” the attacking midfielder said.
“I am sure we can go up and give a good account of ourselves.
When asked if he felt a better player for his time in Paisley, Smith said: “One hundred per cent. I am reaching maybe over 150 games now and it’s a good return for my age.”