Ciaron Brown spent yesterday at the wheel driving back to Cardiff but part of Livingston will remain with the defender.
The 23-year-old was recalled from his Livingston loan deal by new Cardiff manager Mick McCarthy, with Brown keen to advance his career.
Brown is grateful for the opportunity Livingston gave him and has admitted it was a difficult decision knowing he will now miss the Betfred League Cup final and a chance to pick up a bit of silver .
“The cup final is difficult to give up even though you haven’t played in many games,” he said. “I was suspended for the semi-finals and we only found out about my suspension a few days before. I was disappointed because I felt I had done well enough in the Celtic game to start.
“I was there and watched the game and I was probably more nervous than the guys on the pitch in the last 10 minutes. I’ll be damn nervous watching the final but these guys can do it if they have the right attitude.
“It’s quite an achievement to win first place in the competition with the Old Firm. We’ve shown that we can compete with any team in the league and we proved that against Aberdeen.
“I don’t know the rules but if we win I want a medal in the mail! But it’s just an achievement to have been part of a time that made it to the finals.
“When you’re here you want to do good for Livingston and your team-mates with all your heart, but the main goal is always to get a call back to Cardiff.
“But it’s always hard to leave the boys. They are a good group and make you so welcome. I’ve found friends who I’ll talk to for a long time, so it’s hard to play a game and then say ‘see you later’.”
Such is David Martindale’s vocal training over the course of 90 minutes that the Livingston manager’s words would still have been ringing in Brown’s ears from Saturday’s 0-0 draw all the way back to Wales.
“Some people might think Davie yells a lot, but he’s just making demands of you,” he said.
“I got it worse because I’m a full-back – that’s why I try to play in the middle! I’m mainly a middle half, but I’ll do a job wherever he asks. I know he’s yelling on the side, but he’s not yelling at you, he just wants to win.
“As we started the unbeaten run, we got into a scrum and said, ‘We’ve got to start moving on and making demands,’ and we did.
“I’ll take a lot from Livingston – a bit of peace and quiet from Davie! Seriously, the experience as a whole. And just have fun with the boys.
“I’ve made friends for life and will keep in touch with Davie. I’ll let you know in a week how Mick McCarthy compares. It would be a good competition!
“But it’s always difficult to leave when the club, players and staff have been so good to me, but I want to come back to Cardiff and impress the new manager and try to get into this team.
“I felt I did well here so I think now is the time to go back there and join the Cardiff team. I was a bit in the dark but the new manager got straight to the point and said he wanted to take me back and see me.”
Aberdeen needed a striker in the goalless draw. Derek McInnes has agreed a loan deal for Scotland Under-21 international Fraser Hornby to make up for the loss of Sam Cosgrove to Birmingham.
However, Aberdeen’s Ross McCrorie has claimed that the responsibility lies with the team as a whole to contribute with goals.
“The responsibility must lie with the team,” he said.
“We have to start all missions with goals. We create chances, but in the end we have to seize them. If we start doing that, we will start getting results.
“We have a good platform to build on with the goals we’re keeping.”
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