Scott Bain admits being released by Aberdeen turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.
When the goalie was let go by the Dons in 2011 he had to find day work as a joinery labourer and played part-time football with Alloa under manager Paul Hartley.
After Hartley was appointed boss at Dundee, he made a move last summer for the keeper who has since established himself as the No.1 at Dens.
However, Bain felt he was put in an impossible situation during his time at Pittodrie when he was expected to be the back-up to Jamie Langfield despite only having played a handful of games.
Now, the pair will line up in opposite goals today when Dundee face Aberdeen the first time the Dark Blues have played since February 28.
Looking back to his time with the Dons, Bain said: “I was a young lad, 17 or 18, and they wanted me to go from youth and reserve level to be a second-choice goalkeeper.
“To me, it was totally unrealistic as I hadn’t played many games. For them to want me to do that at that age I felt was a bit impatient.
“Craig Brown was the manager. In terms of budget they were looking for me to push Jamie but when you are 17 or 18 it is hard.
“I have since played more than 100 games and it has been the best thing for me.
“All the staff and players were a help to me but leaving Aberdeen was probably the best thing for me.
“It was when I really learned about the game and to be a No. 1, playing regularly.
“I am thankful for my time there but it wasn’t until after I left that I really learned the game.”
Langfield has found himself in the position of back-up keeper to Scott Brown at Pittodrie in recent months but was brought back into the team by boss Derek McInnes last week against Motherwell.
Bain, who was speaking ahead of BT Sport’s live coverage of this afternoon’s game, believes that recall is a fitting reward for the long-serving Dons star.
Bain added: “It is a testament to the character that he is because even when they have brought in another keeper he has continued to work hard and has got another chance to get into the team.
“He deserves it because he has been a great servant to that club. He works hard and he gets stick sometimes that is unwarranted but he keeps bouncing back and always does his job.
“He has seen off three or four keepers.
“He is a tough character. He just gets on with it and he has been up there for nine years.
“To be at one club that long is no mean feat.
“I don’t know how many years he has been No.1 and I know he has been in and out but he always manages to fight back and do well for the club. “He was also a big part in Aberdeen winning the cup last year.”
The games between Dundee and Aberdeen this season have been close affairs and Bain admits that shows just how far the Dark Blues have come in what is their first season since winning promotion back into the top tier of the Scottish game.
However, the keeper insists that he doesn’t get any extra pleasure by doing well against the Dons.
He added: “It doesn’t make it any more special. It is just special because they are second in the league and they are pushing Celtic so that shows how good they are. They have made progress and with their front players they can cause problems to anybody.
“So for us to have handled them in the two games I have played shows how far Dundee have come from the start of the season.
“It is a bit of a strange one as we have one game in a month and the next month we have five games in three weeks. It is a bit ridiculous but we have prepared well for this match.
“I think it puts a marker down as a club if we can go the next five games and push into the top six. It would be great if we could establish ourselves there because these are the games you want to play in.”