MILES STOREY admitted he could not hide his frustration at being unable to join his new Aberdeen team-mates for their opening Europa League fixtures against Fola Esch, the part-timers from Luxembourg.
Having agreed to join from Swindon Town, he was not permitted to team up with his new colleagues until July 1, the day after his contract with the Sky Bet League One club ended, though he brushed aside suggestions that this was a churlish attitude by his former employers.
His eagerness to compete in Europe stems from watching Aston Villa, in his native Birmingham, make an impact against foreign sides under their then manager, Martin O’Neill.
Storey’s path took him to five clubs on loan in as many years with the Robins, the last of which was Inverness Caledonian Thistle where he caught the eye of Derek McInnes, the Aberdeen manager, keen to introduce another striker to a side that had been too reliant on Adam Rooney.
The former Wolves trainee, still only 22, is relieved he’s set to feature for Aberdeen in the first leg of their second qualifying tie against Latvian outfit Ventspils at Pittodrie tonight.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be allowed to train with Aberdeen because I was still a Swindon player,” he said, “and I’ve got to catch up with the lads in terms of fitness and sharpness.
“They’ve had a couple of pre-season games and training, as well as the European tie, that I wasn’t involved in.
“It was a bit frustrating not to be involved when the lads reported back but I’m here now and getting up to speed.
“The prospect of playing in Europe is really exciting. I’m from Birmingham and support Wolves but me and my mates used to buy the cheaper tickets for Aston Villa when they were in the UEFA Cup, as it was called then.
“They weren’t quite full houses but you were still talking about 30,000 crowds. Those were good times at Villa when they spent a bit of money under Martin O’Neill and had the likes of Ashley Young.”
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