Super sub Mcginn rises to the occasion for Aberdeen

Aberdeen found it tougher than expected to progress to the quarter-finals of this season’s Scottish Cup, requiring a replay to get past Stenhousemuir in the previous round and a much improved second half to see off stubborn Queen of the South yesterday.

However, it’s worth remembering that previous incarnations suffered the humiliation of elimination by both in the past and the side Derek Mcinnes has constructed over the last six years are made of sterner stuff.

A Hibernian team on their way back to the Premiership remain the only lower-league outfit to beat Aberdeen in either of the national cup competitions in that time and there was never any chance of Queens repeating their feat from the 2008 semi-final once Niall Mcginn came off the bench at half-time.

While their Championship opponents could only strip four outfield substitutes, the Dons had the likes of Mikey Devlin, Manchester United’s on-loan striker James Wilson and the Northern Ireland international waiting in the wings. Mcginn’s introduction for the anonymous Stevie May was a game-changer as the former Celtic winger scored one and provided the assists for two others in a devastating ten-minute spell after a soporific first 45 minutes. Left-back Jordan Marshall’s 25-yard drive on the counterattack forced Joe Lewis into a top-class save as Queens created the best chance of a largely forgettable opening period.

All that hard work was undone two minutes after the restart, though, as Kyle Jacobs’ tackle on Sam Cosgrove only delayed the inevitable following a sweeping attack as the ball looped into Mcginn’s path. His curled finish was sublime.

But Mcginn’s strike was surpassed three minutes later when Stephen Dobbie fired an equaliser and an astonishing 38th goal the season. Cutting infield with defenders backing off, the veteran Queens forward unleashed a 35-yard drive that simply flew into the top right hand corner of Lewis’ net but it was to prove shortlived consolation.

First Mcginn gathered a short corner and picked out an unmarked Andrew Considine, who headed in the Dons’ second and his fourth in four Scottish Cup ties against Queen of the South, which included the late winner in the replay the last time they met in 2012.

The previous occasion was memorable for all the wrong reasons as far as the defender was concerned, scoring twice and still ending up in the losing side as the Doonhamers won the 2008 semi-final at Hampden Park.

This one was key to Aberdeen’s ultimate progress to the last eight coming shortly after Dobbie’s wonder strike, calming any anxiety on or off the field before Cosgrove wrapped up a more comfortable win with another double.

His first came on 65 minutes, from another splendid Mcginn cross, which climaxed a three-goals-in-tenminute burst by a now rampant Aberdeen, while his second came from the penalty spot after Andrew Stirling was harshly judged to have 2 Niall Mcginn jumps for joy after putting Aberdeen in front just after half-time with a sublime finish. Stephen Dobbie, inset below, levelled moments later with an even better one but the Dons soon swept clear. blocked Shay Logan’s cross with an arm. Cosgrove then passed up the chance of a hattrick with a wild shot in front of an open goal.

The only disappointment for Aberdeen manager Derek Mcinnes after taking another step towards a fourth major final in the last six was that Shay Logan will need a scan to discover the extent of the ankle injury that forced him off in the second half.