TARMO KINK is determined to show Tony Mowbray he was wrong to wreck his last tilt at British football.
The cap-laden Estonia international was frozen out by the then-Middlesbrough manager four years ago but is now on a mission to make his mark with Inverness Caley Thistle.
Kink's pedigree is undeniable, having played more than 80 times for his country and starred in the top Russian, Ukrainian and Hungarian leagues. But the versatile attacker admits his time on Teesside quickly turned sour when Mowbray took charge in October 2010.
Despite a promising start, the ex-Hibs and Celtic boss - now at Coventry - soon sidelined Kink and kept him rooted to the bench for months before the frontman quit 'Boro in February 2012 after four goals in 22 games.
Kink is still frustrated by the memory and thoughts of what might have been in England.
The 29-year-old from Tallinn, most recently with Hungary's Kapsovari, said: "My Middlesbrough experience means it is easy to come back here and settle in at a club like Caley Thistle.
"I know what the lifestyle and training is like and what players want from the game. It's much easier because of my time at the Riverside.
"But I don't have good memories of how that spell ended.
"If the manager doesn't give you any game time, how can it work out? With Tony Mowbray, I was sitting on the bench for six months. I played for about 10 minutes in January that season.
"I felt that if he didn't give me game-time, how could I show myself? That was the problem.
"It had been different in the first season at Middlesbrough, when Mowbray started to push me and I came up with goals and assists. It was okay, but I felt I had better to come.
"In my second season, I didn't really play at all.
"I'm not the first or last player for that to happen to. Sometimes these things happen. But it would be good to come here to Inverness Caley Thistle and show what I can do."
Kink quickly impressed manager John Hughes with his class and technique while on trial but is short of match fitness having not played competitively since the summer.
His lay-off from the game was the unintentional consequence of rejecting moves to the top leagues in Romania and Bulgaria.
Kink said: "Already, I've really enjoyed it here which is why I have signed. The manager liked what he was seeing and the team is doing really well in the league and the cup, so it's good to be part of it.
"Match fitness is much different from training fitness, but I hope I can help the team right away.
"It was unfortunate to find myself without a club. In the summer, there were choices for me but in places I did not want to go.
"I could have gone to Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia, who are the league-leaders and a big team. But with the way it is out there, if you don't do well then you don't get paid.
"Then there was Rapid Bucharest, a big team in Romania, but they also have problems.
"I had other offers, too, but I didn't want to go back to Hungary because I felt I had achieved everything there was to achieve in that country.
"The problem was there was no challenge that I liked. I could have gone to CSKA but I wasn't happy with the life there - I wanted to go to a western European country like England, Germany or France.
"Scotland is a great opportunity for me."
Kink hopes to also use caley Thistle as a springboard back into the international fold, but his immediate aim is just to make a domestic impact.
He stressed: "You need to focus on your training but when you don't play, you don't get selected for the national team. It's hard.
"They've changed the coach of the national team. It's difficult for any player that's not played for six months.
"I could use this as a stepping stone for that, why not? But my focus right now is on Inverness. If the international team comes again it's a bonus.
"I just want to enjoy football again. I want to get that good feeling that comes from winning games. That means getting goals and assists and pushing the team towards Europe.
"It will be hard but nothing comes easy in life."
Kink looks set to be involved tonight in Caley Thistle's rescheduled Scottish Cup quarter-final against Raith Rovers, with Celtic or Dundee United now awaiting Hughes' men in the Hampden semi-final.
Kink stressed: "The manager hasn't told me what role he has in mind for me and I understand that.
"I have to respect the players that are already here who are having a fantastic season right now - they are third in the league and in a cup quarter-final.
"It's not a case of 'welcome, my name is Kink - I will play wherever I want'.
"I need to respect the players because they have put in a huge amount of work, whereas I have just come in now until the end of the season.
"I like the style of football because Inverness are a team that is always passing the ball, not just playing it from back to front. This was one of the reasons why I wanted to come, because I heard they play great football."
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