It looks like the stars may be aligning for Aberdeen when they need it most as they bid to rescue their season.
I was at Pittodrie on Saturday for a rare visit to watch my old team and I was treated to a great game as the Dons beat Hibernian 3-1 to reignite their top six hopes.
I applaud the very impressive crowd of 15,321 who turned out to back the team. It was a terrific effort in what has been a trying season for everyone connected with the club.
There were so many positives on top of the turnout and the positivity seemed to flow before a ball had been kicked with the sight of Marley Watkins and Andy Considine warming up with their team-mates.
Marley went on to make a telling contribution as he came off the bench to provide the cross for Vicente Besuijen to score the third goal.
Besuijen and Barron impressive in Dons display
It was my first chance to see Besuijen in the flesh and I was really impressed. He’s busy, energetic and clearly has an eye for goal as he showed with a terrific finish.
But the standout player for me was Connor Barron. I know he has come in for praise from manager Jim Goodwin in recent weeks and it is not hard to see why.
He is so busy when he is on the ball and because of that, he seems to be involved in everything.
I was so impressed I made a point of texting Dons coach Barry Robson to congratulate him on the job he had done in bringing the young lad through to the first team.
He is still only 19 and is clearly a raw talent as he whirled into a few tackles he did not have to make. I think of former captain Scott Brown in some of those situations and can picture him taking a step back and being a little more patient.
But Barron will learn.
He is a terrific prospect for the future but also looks like his energy, drive and deliveries can be a useful asset for his club between now and the end of the season.
Ramirez needs to be on his toes at spot kicks
If I have one criticism, and it might sound trivial on what was a very good all-round performance from Aberdeen, it is aimed at Christian Ramirez.
I watched the striker when Lewis Ferguson was stepping up to take both penalties and I could not believe what I was watching.
For the first goal he is 15 yards outside the box with his hands on his hips. For the second he is six yards outside the box standing watching.
He, above anyone else, should be looking at penalties as a chance to score even if he is not taking the spot kick.
I prided myself on being first to the ball if it was parried or came back off the woodwork and I always looked at those situations as a chance to add another goal or two to my tally come the end of the season.
Late show a sign Caley Thistle’s luck may be changing for the better
Logan Chalmers may have scored the most important goal of Caley Thistle’s season after firing home an injury time winner at Raith Rovers on Saturday.
I was keeping tabs on events at Stark’s Park while watching the Dons beat Hibs and when I saw John McGlynn’s side were 2-1 up going into the closing stages I feared Inverness were going to drop out the top four.
By the time I checked my phone again I couldn’t believe Billy Dodds’ side had managed to turn it around and claim all three points.
Perhaps it is a sign Doddsy and his players are finally getting some of the luck which seemed to have deserted them in the past three months.
I’m not surprised to see Chalmers involved though. He is such a good striker of the ball and he took his winning goal really well.
It’s a huge win for Inverness as they now have a four point lead on Raith.
They may slip down to fourth place again if Partick can beat Dunfermline tonight but given how tired Ian McCall’s Jags have looked I wouldn’t rule out the Pars, who are fighting to stay in the league, getting a result.
Former Staggie Stewart on cusp of international debut
Good luck to Ross Stewart on his call-up to the Scotland squad for Thursday’s friendly against Poland at Hampden.
He has been under the radar after leaving Ross County for Sunderland last year but with 22 goals so far for Sunderland this season it is clear he is loving life in English football.
I remember my first call-up for Scotland. It was a proud moment in my career and I hope we’ll get the chance to see Ross in action at some point.
The games against Poland and either Austria or Wales will be vital for Steve Clarke as he looks to build momentum for the vital World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine in June.
He will want to use the next week to assess players he maybe has not seen play and that could spell good news for Ross and Jacob Brown of Stoke City, who has also been selected.
