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Jayden Richardson has insisted he had no doubts over a return to Scotland at St Mirren after his short-lived spell at Aberdeen.
The full-back, 24, headed back north of the border from Boreham Wood this summer to sign a two-year deal in Paisley.
Richardson spent two years officially as an Aberdeen player, between 2022 and 2024, but was shipped out on loan to Stockport and Colchester, meaning he was only involved for half a season at Pittodrie.
Despite his struggles for first-team football first time around in Scotland, Richardson is confident a free transfer move to St Mirren is the right decision.
Quizzed on whether he has unfinished business in Scotland, the defender said: "I think for a personal term, you want to play as many games as possible and you want to play as good as possible.
"But everyone knows with football there are ups and downs, so hopefully I can come here and have a lot of ups.
"With football there's ups and downs and it might not be the right time, right place.
"I'm just focused on playing football now and hopefully playing as best as I can."
"No, when you think of it like that, it will eat you alive," Richardson responded to whether his Aberdeen experience casted any doubt on a move to St Mirren.
"So for me and my personal beliefs, you just have to take every game as you can and think positively, because if you think negatively and think on the past or if a bad decision happens, even in football, if you think a bad pass, it can just eat you alive and then you'll be negative.
"So you have to, for me, be positive and look at everything in a positive view, yeah."
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Richardson is in line for a first competitive start for St Mirren against Arbroath this weekend, having seamlessly settled into the squad.
A prior relationship with Alex Iacovitti, stemming from the Nottingham Forest youth academy, has helped in that regard.
"It obviously helps knowing Alex and being with him from a young age, so it's good," said Richardson of being welcomed into the dressing room."
"Yeah, he's the exact same Alex, honestly," he added of his team-mate.
"On the pitch, he's a workhorse, you don't want to mess with him.
"Off the pitch, the nicest guy ever, dopey, clumsy, but honestly, everyone loves Al, he's the best.
"The boys have been fantastic.
"I've been to Spain, so that was a big help, getting away with the boys in a different country, training, camp, and then meals and stuff like that.
"Just little things you take for granted, but help settle into a team."
Another of those little things is the necessity to complete a singing initiation as a new player at St Mirren. Richardson's middle name De'Chante translates from French as 'to sing', so there was little chance of avoiding it.
"I just sang Drake, just a little something that everyone knew," he smirked of the crowd pleaser. "Literally, get the boys singing along with me."
