Funso Ojo was the Dons’ goalscoring hero at Tynecastle on Sunday afternoon, his first strike for the club.

“I haven’t usually been picked to score goals for teams, but things have changed a bit this season. It was a good one as well.

“If I’m honest, last season I was thinking that it was maybe time to go back home and see what happens there, I was almost done with the game, is the truth. But I came into pre-season, I got my head down, did what I was asked to do and it’s worked out.

“The manager took a liking to me, I like him as well, so I’m very happy I’m still an Aberdeen player after all. But if it hadn’t worked out, I’d have looked to help the younger players and support my team-mates, and then gone back home.

“Over the years, I’ve used my time wisely, I’ve done things in real estate, I’ve done a PT course, so I have other options that I can explore. But I’m happy I can put that back for a while again now! I’m still a footballer!

“I think things started to pick up at Wigan with the manager there. He brought some of the joy back to playing for me, we got some good results and we stayed up on the last day which was a good achievement to finish on.

“Coming back here, I’ve found we do a lot of passing drills, which is something I like to do and that’s important for me. Enjoying training means a lot to me, even if I’m not in the team, if I’m enjoying Monday to Friday then I’m happy and I will give everything my support, whether I play or not. The sessions have been great.”

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 22: Aberdeen’s Funso Ojo (R) makes it 1-1 during a cinch Premiership match between Hearts and Aberdeen at Tynecastle Park, on August 22, 2021, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Ojo’s goal earned Aberdeen a share of the points, the least they deserved after putting in yet another huge shift this season.

“We really felt there was something there for us, even when we went behind. We didn’t play well in the first half, but it made things easier for us when they dropped to a back four. We found it easier to find the pockets and we were able to make use of it.”

The Red Army were in full voice at Tynecastle and needed no second bidding to belt out a song in celebration of Funso, though as he points out, its a bit of a golden oldie now…

“I had that song my first season as well, but they just didn’t sing it for that long! It’s a real boost. Today, I was drained after all the travelling and playing in the heat on Thursday, so when you hear the supporters singing that song, it keeps you going and drives you on.”

From here, all roads lead to Pittodrie and the showdown with Qarabag on Thursday night, a prospect that Funso is relishing.

“It’s 14 years since we’ve been this close to the group stages apparently, so we know what’s at stake. We think it’s there for us to win. Losing 1-0 wasn’t so bad in the circumstances. The heat was really intense, the pitch was bad, we had a lot of travelling and they are a good team, so 1-0 wasn’t a disaster.

“We believe we can go and get the result we need with the fans behind us in a full ground. We want to get it done.”