Recently Dom Ball reached a milestone as he clocked up his 50th appearance for the Dons.

Across that half century, he has become a huge favourite with the Red Army for his determined attitude and absolute and unfailing commitment to the cause.

Those 50 games have seen Dom slotting into a number of positions to help the team and in recent weeks, with Shay Logan sidelined, he has produced some excellent displays at right-back, a job he seems to be thriving on.

“I am really enjoying my time at right-back. Before I got the chance and came back into the team, I spoke to the manager and asked how I could get back in. All I want is to play games. I had not played in January and I had been ill for a little bit as well.

“The team had been doing well and sometimes you have to accept that. You might think that you are doing well, but these players might be doing better. You just have to accept that sometimes. But for me, I want to be on that pitch.

“I am very motivated and I have to do whatever I can to get in front of someone. That competitiveness and competition for places does help the team. It pushes everyone on and allows players to reach their peak.

“But then unfortunately Shay got injured and Tommie was out as well, so it meant I was going in at right-back. I always said that right-back was my third best position! I see myself as a holding midfielder, centre-half then a right-back. At Cambridge United, during my first loan when I was 18 or 19, I played right back for ten games and I enjoyed it. Since then I have not really played there until I played some games towards the end of the season.

“But I knew this was a chance and I had to take it. I was determined to go out and give it everything and enjoy it. I have tried to get on the front foot whenever possible and get myself up the pitch. That has not been possible every game, but defending or attacking, I have really enjoyed the role. Each game I feel that I am getting better, be it with my positioning, in one v ones or whatever. I am just hoping that I can continue to be effective.

“Do the best you can, work hard and enjoy it. That is the way I approach everything in life. And there’s also a duty to perform because these fans are paying good money to come and watch us play and some of my performances last season were not good enough.

“The sort of character I am, I always want to prove people wrong and I believe in myself. I have that inner confidence. I knew it was only a matter of time before I started to show what I could really do. I know last season it came in the post-split fixtures but that was why I got the support when I came back this season. The fans really have helped me push on this year, regardless of what position I play. The support has been brilliant.

“That’s what makes our home form so frustrating. It is strange, especially when you consider our current run away from home. As a group of players, there has to be a bit more onus on us. The staff prepare us to do the right things and we have not executed what we have been asked to do.

“The games that we should have won, we have been sloppy defensively. We have made decisions that we would not have made in the bigger games which have led to sloppy goals. Attacking wise we also have not done the same things, for example showing the desire to get across markers and get to that front post which has worked so well for us.

“That needs to change. In these last three or four home games this season, depending on the league split fixtures, starting tonight, we need to pick up maximum points. A win tonight is also important so we go into the semi-final in good form. Regardless though, we will still go to Hampden with confidence.

“I feel that there is a confidence within the lads already, especially having picked up two good results in Glasgow recently. Looking at our form in Glasgow, even in the League Cup final against Celtic, though we did not get a result, we were close that day. There is a confidence now in the big games, especially down in Glasgow. We are desperate to be in that final. We really believe that this could be our year. I know everyone says that, but we really feel with the players that we have got and the desire, we have a chance.

“You have to respect the ability Celtic and Rangers have on the ball. Celtic especially, you have to respect the way they are going to play and make sure you are organised and concentrate on your defensive duties.

“But we want to back up that amazing night at Ibrox. Celebrating at the end with all the Aberdeen fans was very special. We stayed in Glasgow for four days so it was a good trip after drawing with Celtic, getting a clean sheet and then going to Ibrox on the Tuesday and doing the same thing and winning 2-0.

“Afterwards the players were happy, but we want more. There is an expectation because we have beaten Rangers twice this year. The quality of the players we have and the team work and the spirit, we needed to be in the semi-final and I think our desire showed that throughout the game.

“We were sitting in the changing room afterwards and there were six of us under the age of 23. We are not just going out their to do a job, the youngsters in the side have played really well. Dean and Connor have come into the side, Max, Scott and Lewis have been doing it all season, as has big Sam.

“It is a credit to the coaches within the young academy to get these players ready for the first team. For Connor to be thrown on in a League Cup final, and then Dean at Ibrox and for them to perform the way they have performed, there are not many players who would be able to handle that. As a young player you have to take your chance and these boys have certainly done that recently.

“I know it’s been said before, but this is an easy team and dressing room to come into. You rarely get a changing room, and the staff as well, where everyone is a really good person – fun, happy, positive – and we have that in this dressing room. We had it last year and we have it this season as well. It does not just happen by accident. It is down to the players the gaffer brings in.
“It can be quite simple things. We will have game nights during the week when we get six or seven of the lads playing Scrabble and then watching some football on tv! I know it sounds stupid, but it is just getting the lads together.

“I have always felt that if you are happy off the pitch then you are happy on it. You can see that in the way that we play. Everyone is fighting for each other. We are covering each other, we are helping each other out and if someone makes a mistake then you are lifting them up. That is what works for us. We might not have the same ability as every side we play, but we have that team spirit that gets us results.

“There are quite a few of us up here on our own, so having good mates up here makes a difference. It makes your spare time a lot easier. There is always something going on when we are at the club. I enjoy playing the guitar as well, as people may have seen on social media! I’m not as good yet as Gary Mackay-Steven. He has been playing his whole life and is very good, very talented. I can’t play barre chords so I am a bit limited, but I do enjoy picking it up from time to time and making up some songs! I do like singing so the two go well together.

“On top of that, I am in my fifth year at University, studying for a general business degree. I have just finished a six week module which was probably the toughest part so far. It was a collaborative analysis, so I was working with different groups throughout the six weeks. We had deadlines and had to work together on case studies. I found it very tough, but it was a good challenge and it is a nice feeling to have completed it. I have another year and two months of that University degree to do and hopefully I can get through and pass.

“It is about planning. I have to make sure that when I have some down time, I utilise it. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice a night with the boys to make sure I get up to date with all my reading. It gives you something to do and focus on away from football. It does help. If you are not doing anything and have too much time to think about football, it is only a matter of time before your start thinking about something negative. And I am all about being positive.”

In that case, avoiding some of the press that comes out of the west of the country might not be a bad idea for some of it can be very negative towards the Dons. Seasoned Aberdeen fans are, sadly, well used to it, but does it have an impact on players who are new to it all?

“It depends what is said. As a group, the team spirit that we have, we know where we should be. We are third place at the moment because of some sloppy results at home. Although we have struggled in those games, we have done the opposite in the big games when we were the underdogs and maybe were not expected to win.

“If we can get to another final, and it will be our second of the season, we will not take any notice of what people say because that is where we feel we should be. That is the standard that we have set. We see ourselves in those finals. With this squad of players, we can win trophies. That is how we feel. With seven games to go we also feel we can still push for second place. What anybody outside the club says isn’t important”.

With the season hurtling towards its close, thoughts inevitably turn towards the future, not least when, like Dom, you are on loan. How does he see things panning out?

“Of course staying here beyond the summer is a possibility. I really enjoy it up here. Sometimes you have to look at other things outside football, you have to look at the whole package. I am settled here, I really like being around everyone that is here.

“Although football is not everything, I came back this season to play and I have been involved and played in some big games. Most importantly, I see myself improving. I am still young, I am only 23. The next couple of years are massive for my development and playing as many games as I can is really important. That’s the key to it all’.