Connor Ronan was the player who previewed Saturday night's Premiership opener against Hearts.

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Returning to Scotland

“I was pretty close to coming a few years ago before I went to the US. I had a few conversations and actually came up here and looked around. For whatever reason, it just didn’t feel right at the time with the other options that came up. “Like you said, it stays in the back of your mind and then, when that conversation eventually comes up again, you’ve got that little bit of background knowledge. It was nice that I’d already been up here and got a feel for the place. It made the decision a little bit easier. “It’s not easy when a big club like Aberdeen comes calling to maybe look elsewhere, but this time round it felt like the right timing and the right decision."

Experience in the league

“I would describe that year as a breakout year for me (season at St Mirren). “I’d had various loan spells where I’d played a lot of games and felt like I was getting towards doing consistently well, but I hadn’t quite got there with the goals and assists. “That year felt like I really broke through in terms of affecting games, not just being out there but actually having a big influence on them and becoming an important part of the team. “Like I said before, when the opportunity came up to return to the league, having had a good experience here in the past made that decision a bit easier.”

At home in the league

“Throughout my career I’ve played at different levels. I started off at a high point, coming through at Wolves and playing games in the Championship at a young age. “It’s been up and down throughout my career in terms of the different places I’ve found myself, the different levels and the different styles of football.

“Like I said, this is a league where I’ve done well in the past and it feels like a platform for me to showcase myself again. If I can excel and go on again, but right now it feels like the right club and the right league for me to show what I can do again."

An exciting opener

“It’s always exciting when it’s the first game of the season. Pre-season can feel like it’s dragging on a little bit and you’ve always got the first game in the back of your mind. “It being against Hearts, who did well last year, it adds that little bit extra, but we’ve got to try and treat it like it’s another game. “I know it’s the first game and we want to get off to a good start, but it’s a long season. If we can win tomorrow, it’s a big confidence boost and shows the progress we’re making, but it’s still just another game in a long season."

Belief in the group

“There’s enough quality in the squad. You can have all the talent in the world, but it’s got to come from doing the right things first, and that’s really been drilled into us by the gaffer. “That means getting set-pieces right, working hard off the ball, working hard on the ball and doing the dirty running for your teammates when you don’t really want to do it. “I feel like we’ve got a good balance between the talent we have on the ball and the ability to grind out games when we need to and work hard for each other."

Stephen Robinson

“In the short spell I had with the gaffer before, it was what you guys probably saw from him last season. He’s good at getting teams doing the right things and working hard. “I don’t want to speak too much about last season because I wasn’t here, but he probably didn’t get the chance to implement as much of the tactical side as he wanted."

Pre-season

“It’s been good for us as a squad to have a full pre-season together. There have been a lot of new signings and a lot of chemistry to build. “It’s gone well so far. I think it’s fair to say it’s been a successful pre-season. “The cup games aren’t easy. There are some tricky games in there and to come through them and win them all convincingly is a confidence boost for us. “Now we’re looking to bring that into the league. We’ve had enough pre-season and cup games now to know what the manager wants from us and we’re going to try to put that into practice tomorrow.”