Town top scorer Brett Pitman has vowed to celebrate if he scores against former club Bristol City at Ashton Gate tomorrow.
Nine-goal Pitman promised: "If I score I’ll celebrate for sure. I don’t understand why players make the decision not to when they score against a former club.
"I think it’s all for show if I’m honest. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be going over the top and jumping into the crowd, but surely you have to respect the club you’re playing for.
"They are paying your wages and you want to get three points for them. It’s beyond me why players will score against a former club and refuse to celebrate. I just don’t get it.”
Pitman scored 20 goals in 77 league appearances — 33 starts and a further 44 as a substitute — for the Robins and added: "I had a mixed time there. It was a big move for me at the time and I did enjoy it until right near the end of my time there.
"A new manager [Derek McInnes] came in and it looked like I wasn’t in his plans. It was a frustrating time towards the end because of that but the first part of my time there was something I really enjoyed.
"Was it hard to take when my face didn’t fit? Yes, up to a point. When we were struggling at the bottom of the league the players he was selecting weren’t doing particularly well, so that was definitely frustrating — but that’s life.”
City have climbed out of the Championship relegation zone but they are just one place and three points above the bottom three, although Pitman believes his old club have what it takes to survive in their first season back in the second tier after being crowned League One champions last term.
He said: "I think they will have enough. When we played them at home I think they were a lot better than people thought they were going to be.
"They try to play good football and they can definitely cause teams problems. I don’t know what sort of reception their fans will give me but it doesn’t really bother me either way.”
City will be playing their first game since the recent appointment of new boss Lee Johnson, son of ex-manager Gary Johnson, who steered them to within one victory of promotion to the Premier League during his time in charge.
Pitman, like Town team-mates Dean Gerken and Cole Skuse, played alongside Johnson during his time in the West Country and said: "I think Lee will do well. He was always an intelligent footballer and you could always tell that he was one who wanted to go on and become a manager. There are players like that, while others have absolutely no interest in doing it.
"Lee’s dad is obviously a manager and he looks as if he is going to take after him. He’s obviously been at Barnsley, and Oldham before that, and done well. He deserves his opportunity and I’m sure he will do well.
"When I signed for Bristol City I found it was a bigger city and club than I had realised. They were beaten in the play-off final a few years ago so they were very close to going up to the Premier League.
"It is probably a bit surprising that a city so big hasn’t had a club in the Premier League. That’s the challenge for Lee — to go one better than his old man.”