Kelle Roos missed Aberdeen’s last encounter against Hibernian which ultimately spelled the end of Jim Goodwin’s time at the club.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper was ruled out for seven games earlier this year after sustaining a hamstring injury. It was a bitter blow to the Dutchman, as well as the Pittodrie outfit at a difficult time.
Since then, now-permanent manager Barry Robson has turned their season around and the Dons look comfortable favourites to finish third in the Premiership.
Roos has been back in the starting XI for a couple of months now, but he is still thankful to be back-involved, doing what he does best.
“It’s always important and I feel that I showed why I want to be playing every week before my injury,” Roos explained. “So, I had to keep my head down, I needed to make sure I was fit and strong by the time I came back.
“Once you cross that white line you need to be at your best regardless of who you are and what you do.
“So that’s what I focused on, and I feel I came back strong from the get-go, which gave me the confidence to perform.
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“We have shown we are hard to beat at times. That’s important because you know how games can go from 20-minute spells under pressure to 20-minute spells of domination.
“It’s important you can see these times out because I think anyone who has followed all these games knows these games weren’t easy at all.
“So, it gives us a lot of confidence to show we don’t give goals away easily. Other teams now know we are not a rollover.
“It’s the boring answer but we take it week to week, football can change very quickly. We just need to make sure we prepare as best as we can for the next game coming.
“There’s a lot going on this weekend, which is beautiful, but we have to make sure it’s a good weekend for everyone.”
This is Roos’ first experience of the Premiership split, given he arrived from Derby last summer.
And the keeper insists he’s a fan of the unique Scottish top-flight setup, admitting it’s exciting to play the teams directly around Aberdeen.
He added: “I think it has been a bit of a rollercoaster, I really like the fact there’s a big difference between what places you go in and what teams come to Pittodrie.
“Every week you get tested in a slightly different way, so I have really enjoyed it. I think everyone can see I am enjoying it.
“I like it because every game has even more pressure on it when you play the teams around you.
“During a normal season you might be playing a team 5-10 places below you. So, I think it’s good. It’s competitive every week, so you need to be at the races every week.”
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