Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen says he's made up with Aberdeen centre-back Declan Gallagher after a fiery Scottish Cup meeting.
The Dutchman celebrated in former 'Well captain Gallagher's face after a physical affair during a 2-1 fifth round win for Graham Alexander's side.
They locked horns again on Saturday and this time a 1-1 draw played out in Premiership action. Vincente Besuijen scored for the Dons before van Veen helped Mark O'Hara level for the Steelmen.
While things got tasty in the cup, Motherwell's Dutch striker was pleased to end Saturday's contest in a more respectful manner.
The 30-year-old said: “It’s a game and you need to get under each other’s skin. It needs to be in a respectful manner.
“He and Lewis Ferguson were bouncing into me and pulling my arm but we shook hands and were professional.
“Last week was a bit toxic, but not this time. I wish them all the best for the rest of the season but not too much, as we want to finish above them.”
Van Veen played through the pain barrier on Saturday after landing on his shoulder following a first half challenge with Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis. The thought of scoring the winning goal kept him going.
He added: “I landed on it and felt it straight away. It’s a bit numb all over and I’ve been in a lot of pain. The gaffer asked if I was okay to continue.
"I gave it ten minutes to see how it went but I still didn’t want to come off as I was holding out for that chance to be the hero. I had an involvement in the goal which was satisfying. But I wanted to win.
"We’ll see how it is when we assess it on Sunday or Monday. It’s a bit swollen. I wanted to fight for the team though and didn’t want to come off.”
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