BRUCE Anderson’s impressive return of eight goals in sixteen cinch Premiership games for Livingston hammers out the message to his former club, Aberdeen, that he’s the kind of front man they need right now.

Anderson was released by Dons manager Stephen Glass last summer following a loan spell with Hamilton and was snapped-up by Livi where he has proved his worth and for whom he’ll be keen to inflict some damage on his former club.

All the while, Aberdeen have struggled up front where Christian Ramirez, their only recognised striker, is left to plough a lone furrow and Glass rues missed opportunities in crucial games.

“Bruce is a good player,” Glass said. “He needed somewhere where he was going to play regularly.  He’s found that, I think.

“He’s done really well. It’s no surprise to us. He wanted the challenge of being there, of being one of the top boys. I think he’s thriving which, for the club, is good to see. You never know what happens further down the line. We like to see boys who have come through the system here go and have good careers. We’re pleased for him.

“There was an opportunity to stay but he chose to leave because he felt there was something better for him. We all like Bruce and know what he could become, but at the age he was at, he’d been on the periphery for too long.

“He goes to a club, gets the number nine jersey, and is told he’ll be one of the main centre forwards, I think that was attractive to him. It’s good to see. He didn’t leave on bad terms. If you see a young, local guy doing well, it’s good.”

Glass was disappointed not to take three points rather than a draw at Ross County in midweek and is only too aware of an overall in ability to win away games with only two victories on the road as he investigates the possibilities of securing the services of free agents.

An injury to Ramirez could prove disastrous given the paucity of back-up.

“We’d like to bring in others,” Glass admitted. “There’s limited numbers of these guys around, but it’s something we’d like to do. There’s a couple of things out there we’re looking at the moment to see if we can do it and see if we’re attractive to those players.”

Leaky defensive work is also an issue and centre-back David Bates, who finds the Scottish game very hectic after time at Hamburg and in the Championship down south, knows improvements are needed in that department,

“It is one that's frustrating us all at the moment,” he said. “We can’t really get our performances going. It is very frustrating because we try to prepare right but it isn’t coming together really.”

“We came in after [losing to] St Mirren and [drawing with] Ross County and we were frustrated but others haven’t taken full points from their games either. You look at it as ‘what if?’

“We need to start taking care of that on the pitch and everything else will take care of itself really. “