Aberdeen winger Shayden Morris has already bagged one trophy this season and aims to add the Scottish Cup to repay supporters for their backing.
The 23-year-old scooped the player of the year gong at the club’s awards ceremony on Thursday night.
Morris said receiving the award was a “beautiful moment” as he realised a dream he has been chasing since his first season at Pittodrie.
In that debut campaign he watched Duk pick up the player of the year award and vowed he would do the same one day.
That dream seemed to be fading away when Morris attended last year’s ceremony at a time when he was frozen out of the first team.
Lifting up the player of the year award was another milestone in the resurrection of Morris’ career under the guidance of boss Jimmy Thelin.
A ‘beautiful’ moment for Morris
Morris’ mother Claudette and his best friend travelled up from London for the awards, and were both in tears when he received it at P&J Live.
He said: “I have a lot of feelings as receiving the award is so emotional for me.
“When I was actually on the stage, it hit me how far I’ve come to be standing there.
“I remember in my first season when Duk won his player of the year.
“I called my brother after and said my dream is to get on that stage one day.
“Actually standing there was like, ‘wow, I really did it’.
“Receiving the award was so emotional because my mum and my best friend were there as well.
“They were also there 12 months ago when it was nothing like this so they were really emotional and crying.
“It was just a beautiful moment for me. Very beautiful.”
Morris’ redemption at Pittodrie continues apace after suffering a frustrating first two seasons at the club due to injuries.
Redemption under Thelin’s guidance
He suffered two serious hamstring injuries in those two campaigns.
Then in February last year he was sent home for two weeks by then interim boss Neil Warnock in the aftermath of a 3-3 draw with Motherwell.
Morris was substituted off in the first half of that game where he was played out of position by Warnock, with the Dons 3-0 down.
The winger did not feature for the Dons again that season.
Morris was offered a lifeline when Thelin arrived at the club last summer.
He grabbed it.
Morris said: “I’ve only had one year under the manager who’s helped me a lot.
“With his support off the pitch and more exposure on the pitch, I think the only way is to get better.
“So I’m excited for that.
“The manager has been honest with me.
“He has also given me a chance and a platform to play.
“Off the pitch we are also working on things and he always speaks to me.
“It’s not like I’m just accepting everything he says, I come back at things with him.
“So he really did make me come out of my shell, because we do have a bit of good heated conversations, which is really positive for me.”
Morris has only nine Premiership starts this season but has made significant impacts off the bench in many games.
Valuable advice from manager Thelin
He has shrugged off the mantle of “super-sub” in recent months with impressive performances when starting.
Morris said: “The manager just made me believe and told me to be patient and I’ll get my chance.
“He knew because I’ve always said I’m hungry to play.
“The manager will say why maybe this game I’m not going to play and why I will play the next game.
“But he’s also always told me, you’re good enough to play, you’re going to get there.”
Signed from Fleetwood Town in summer 2022, Morris has pitched in with five goals and 12 assists this season.
Feeling the love of Aberdeen fans
He insists the Red Army have also been a key motivational driver in his breakthrough season.
The winger aims to reward them for their support by bringing the Scottish Cup to Pittodrie for the first time since 1990.
Morris explained: “All season the fans have pushed me a lot by singing my song.
“I feel the love from them every time I get on the ball.
“I see them get excited and up on their feet so it’s helped me feel that confidence I have now.
“They’ve given a lot to me and I want to give back to them by getting to Europe and winning the Scottish Cup.
“This is the business time of the season and nothing really matters if we don’t deliver in the next few weeks.
“If the team and the fans are going to enjoy it then we know that we have to put the work in now.
“We are hungry and stronger going into these last few games las we look to get what we want.”
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