The skipper spoke to RedMatchday Magazine last week.

“The winter break is a chance to reflect on the good and the bad of the season so far. We’ve made a strong start, we’re up on where we were at the break last season so that’s encouraging.

“The campaign has felt a bit stop / start but we have ground out some good wins. Some of the performances haven’t been up there with what we are capable of so there’s a slight tinge of disappointment with the first half of the season because we still haven’t hit massive heights, not consistently.

“We haven’t been as good as we think we can be. But as I say on the positive side, we have been grinding out results and that shows what we are all about.

“This league it is about winning games and getting points on the board. When you are doing that, you are always going to be happy.

“Personally, there were many highlights during 2017. Leading the boys out before the Scottish Cup final is always going to be a special memory. My goal against Apollon will live in my memory for a while too. It is probably the best goal of my career. I don’t think I have ever scored one from outside the box before, certainly not like that. But just turning out every week and being part of a good, successful team has been very enjoyable.

“I was glad to score against Hibs having not scored in the league yet. Especially as almost every other boy in the dressing room has scored this season! It’s good that we have shared the goals through the side and that we’re not just relying on one forward player.

“Looking back across the year, the stats for 2017 are very impressive and they highlight the progress that is being made at the club.

“The better you do the higher the expectation levels are but that is what happens in football. Nobody has higher expectation levels that the players.

“At the start of the year, we were in a good position league wise. We did well to win the battle for second spot and to get to the cup final. There was a big turnover of players in the summer and a lot of new faces coming in, but we have managed to maintain our consistency in terms of results.

“The club does everything it can to prepare us for a game. The manager and the coaches prepare us all week and then when we do travel away, the hotels we stay at are always very good. There is a lot of travelling over the year but it allows the players to come together a lot more. You are in each other’s company for a long time but that is a positive thing. It was the same when I was at Inverness, there was a good spirit within the group.

PIC DEREK IRONSIDE / NEWSLINE MEDIA

“So travelling brings the players together and it shows in our away form. There is a very strong bond in the dressing room and the Dubai trip will make it even stronger.

“The winter break last year worked in our favour, probably more than anyone in the league due to the fact we are virtually playing games all year round.

“Going to Dubai was a great success last year.

“It’s always nice to get away and have different surroundings. The weather was good and the training facilities were top class.

“It was great to get away and rest up after the tough December run of games so we will all look forward to going back to Dubai again this year.

“We also get a bit of time with the family in the first week in January which is really important, then the training camp will hopefully set us well for the second half of the season.

“When we come back to play St Mirren in the cup, we know it will be a very tough game because they will be really up for it. It certainly won’t be a holiday in Dubai, it will be a proper training camp where we will focus on that St Mirren game.

“We will have to be ready for it.

“All the players are now looking forward to trying to emulate what we did last year after coming back from Dubai. It would be great if we could go one stage further in the Scottish Cup this time around.

“The team also want to try and emulate and better what we did in the second half of the league last season. It will be tough because I think we took something like 42 points from 57 last season after the break but we are in a similar position and looking to be just as successful and hopefully more so.

“We will be fighting hard in the league and in the Scottish Cup.

“In the dressing room we have a great squad at the moment and I am sure the manager will try and strengthen it further before we come back. We’ll try and get as close as we can to Celtic. It will be very difficult but in doing that, at worst it will hopefully help us in the battle for second place. It’s an old cliché but we will take each game as it comes. Working that way has served us well in the past. You cannot get ahead of yourself.”