The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
McInnes tickets call
Reds: Manager demands Dons parity for Hampden
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes says it would be a disgrace if Celtic are given more tickets than the Reds for next month’s Betfred Cup final at Hampden. The Dons earned their place in the November 27 showpiece at the national stadium with a 2-0 victory against Morton on Saturday.
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes says it would be a disgrace if Celtic are given more tickets than them for next month’s Betfred Cup final at Hampden.
The Dons earned their place in the November 27 showpiece at the national stadium with a 2-0 victory against Morton on Saturday.
Aberdeen took just over 11,000 supporters to Hampden for the match, which kicked off at 12.15pm.
More than 43,000 Dons supporters made the trip to Parkhead to watch their side end a 19-year wait for silverware by defeating Caley Thistle on penalties in 2014. The last time the Dons met one of the Old Firm clubs in a cup final was in 2000 when Rangers received 7,000 more tickets for the Scottish Cup final, which the Ibrox side won 4-0. McInnes says the Dons have every right to demand the same allocation as Celtic for the final.
He said: “Should we get an even split? 100%. I think we will as anything other than that would be a disgrace. It would be a slap in the face for us as we took more than 40,000 to Parkhead two years ago.
“We are already playing them in Glasgow, which is their home city. Our supporters get the short end of the stick at times by having to go here, there and everywhere.
“There is no doubt the demand will be there to fill it. I expect us to get parity. In the interests of fairness it should be split down the middle.”
The Dons meet Celtic in the Scottish Premiership at Pittodrie on Saturday but a trip to New Douglas Park to take on Hamilton tonight is their immediate concern.
The Dons drew 1-1 on their most recent outing at Hamilton last November, with Kenny McLean’s opener cancelled out by Dougie Imrie. McInnes admitted he may make changes for tonight’s match, despite his side’s impressive form.
He added: “It is always a dilemma for any manager. We have won six games in a row with a familiarity about the team. There has only been the odd change here and there during that run.
“We have a healthy squad, so whenever you have three games in a week you look at how you can best utilise that.
“It is something we will consider but we don’t want to mess about too much with something that is working.”
“Anything other than an even split would be a disgrace”