Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Turn cup pain to gain urges boss
ABERDEEN boss Derek McInnes believes his side’s big-game experience can help them turn cup-final pain into a trophy gain.
The Dons are preparing for their fifth semi-final under McInnes tomorrow, with Hibs the l ast side blocking their path to the climax of the William Hill Scottish Cup.
The former Rang ers midfielder got his Pittodrie reign off to the perfect start back in 2014 when he led the Reds to League Cup glory.
But since then, Aberdeen have fallen short in their quest for silverware.
This season’s Betfred Cup Final l oss against Celtic may have been expected but last-four losses to St Johnstone and Dundee United have stung.
Now, though, McInnes believes his men will be able to fall back on those experiences when the going gets tough against Neil Lennon’s team.
“Yo u c a n u s e a n y disappointment for inspiration,” he said when asked about November’s 3-0 Hampden loss to Brendan Rodgers’ allconquering Hoops.
“I think you’ve got to get as much experience as possible to deal with occasions like this.
“We’ve had a lot of big game experience in recent years. The European stage has helped us.
“This season is another test for us as a club.
“Now we want to get to another final and hopefully have a different outcome.
“This will be the fifth semi we’ve had since I’ve been here at Aberdeen.”