SCOTTISH CUP’S THE WIN THAT GOT AWAY
Niall desperate to lift a second Dons trophy
NIALL McGINN admits the one thing missing from his Aberdeen career is a Scottish Cup win.
The Northern Ireland star has already lifted the League Cup and savoured some big European nights with the Dons.
He has come up just short in the Scottish Cup, losing several semis and the 2017 showpiece.
But McGinn hopes to remedy that this term, with a quarter-final against St Mirren looming this weekend.
He said: “I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in plenty of semi-finals and to get
my hands on a trophy. “I came to win trophies and have been fortunate to do that in the League Cup.
“But the Scottish Cup is the one that I always wanted to get my hands on with Aberdeen.” The Reds’ Cup form has been their main highlight of 2020 with a victory over Dumbarton and that dramatic 4-3 extra-time win over Kilmarnock in the last round.
McGinn hopes the Rugby Park clash, where Aberdeen twice came back from the dead, is a good omen.
He said: “There’s another chance to go far now as we are in the quarterfinal and we all want to get back to Hampden.
“We’ve got a good chance to do that on Saturday and that is something we’ll be ready for.
“If it’s to be our year then games like the one at Kilmarnock will stand us in good stead.”
Boss Derek McInnes will also be looking for a reaction from his team after their weekend loss to Ross County.
Aberdeen’s home form has been poor of late so it may work in their favour that the Cup clash is in Paisley.
McGinn said: “After a disappointing result you just want to get back to the training field as quick as possible and think about the next game.
“It’s a massive occasion with a semi-final place at stake and we know how tough it will be down in Paisley.” The Dons lost 1-0 at the Simple Digital Arena earlier in the season and had to settle for a frustrating 0-0 draw last time out.
McGinn said: “We haven’t scored a goal against them down there this season.
“It won’t be easy but it’s a game that we feel we’re capable of winning and getting to another semi-final.”