Northerners lift the curse

After years of Hampden heartache, Derek McInnes’s men put hoodoo to bed and book return to face one of the Old Firm, reports Graeme Macpherson

ABERDEEN’S trips to Hampden in recent years have tended to be about as pleasant as a visit to the dentist’s but, despite the odd moment of discomfort, it would prove to be a relatively pain-free experience this time around.

In eventually squeezing past Championship side Morton to book their place in next month’s League Cup final, the Pittodrie side put an end to a pitiful record at the national stadium that was beginning to look increasingly like a hoodoo. On the back of six successive defeats in this corner of Glasgow – a winless sequence that stretched back to April 2000 – even a generous semi-final draw against lower-league opposition could not have been viewed as a racing certainty. It would prove to be something of a struggle at times, but the end result was all that mattered. Aberdeen have finally triumphed again at Hampden and will now await the winners of the second semi-final between Rangers and Celtic.

All talk of jinxes can be forgotten as Derek McInnes and his players eye up the possibility of a second League Cup success in the space of just three years.

This semi-final was a curious affair, played out on a Saturday lunchtime in front of a crowd of just 16,183.

Aberdeen, having started like a train, creating corner after corner without scoring, found themselves facing some sustained Morton pressure early in the second half. Just as that feeling of familiar Hampden dread, however, must have been starting to take hold in the stomachs of their supporters, Aberdeen belatedly moved in front against the run of play shortly after the hour.

Confidence restored amid Morton’s crumbling resistance, they added a second late in the game to end any lingering prospect of another cup shock. By the end it would prove a relatively comfortable and deserved victory.

Once again, Aberdeen had Adam Rooney to thank for his contribution in front of goal. The Irishman had scored in the League Cup semi-final victory over St Johnstone in 2014 and then netted the decisive shoot-out penalty in the final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle as Aberdeen hoisted the trophy for a sixth time, at Celtic Park. Rooney again proved his worth here, nodding in Andrew Considine’s header back across goal after Graeme Shinnie sent in an enticing back-post cross.

It was rough on a Morton side who had defended stoically up until that point, their frustration enhanced by television replays that showed that Rooney had been offside when he connected with Considine’s assist.

“I’m told the first goal is offside and if that’s the case, it’s going to stick in your throat,” said Jim Duffy, the Morton manager. “Aberdeen deserved to win and good luck to them. But if it is a contentious goal then that just makes it a little bit more painful. There can’t just be a hint of offside. It’s either offside or it’s not.”

It felt like a pivotal moment in the match and so it proved. Morton rarely threatened again and a second Aberdeen goal just two minutes from end confirmed the victory. Niall McGinn was the creator, cutting inside from the right before shooting goalwards from a tight angle.

Goalkeeper Andy McNeil could only push it into the path of the onrushing Kenny McLean, who couldn’t miss from a handful of yards. There was undoubtedly an element of relief among the Aberdeen celebrations come fulltime, but McInnes sounded a warning after that this victory represented only a job half-done.

“I don’t want my time here to be always related to the League Cup final win at Parkhead,” he said bullishly. “I want other references. I want the players to feel it was more of an era and a sustained period of success. We made it clear at the start of the season our objective was to win trophies and we’re 90 minutes away from doing that now.”

Morton looked most effective whenever Jai Quitongo was on the ball, the raw but undoubtedly gifted 19-year-old forward once released by Aberdeen but now destined for bigger things. During Morton’s period of early secondhalf dominance, the teenager was at the heart of it all, inducing pangs of panic among the Aberdeen defence with his powerful and direct running, and even having the audacity to attempt an acrobatic overhead kick that drifted just over the crossbar.

He and Morton, however, may come to regret the chance passed up late in the first half when Quitongo took advantage of a Mark Reynolds slip to bear in on goal. He placed his shot to Joe Lewis’s right but close enough to the goalkeeper that he could still save it with his legs. It would prove the closest Morton would come to scoring all afternoon.

Aberdeen were profligate, too, which is why the tie remained in the balance for as long as it did. They started with intent, forcing an array of corners from which McLean had a volley saved and Jonny Hayes headed against the crossbar.

When Rooney similarly hit the woodwork late in the first half, it began to look as if Aberdeen were intent on penning another chapter in their big book of Hampden heartache. For once, however, they could deliver a happy ending.

I want the players to feel this time was more of an era and a sustained period of success