McGinn has no beef with grief that comes his way from foes

ONE consequence of the crowd imbalance at Hampden today is that it will increase the stick thrown in the direction of Aberdeen winger Niall McGinn. McGinn won’t let the insults bother him but admits to being bemused that some of those very same Rangers fans will have cheered his exploits for the Northern Ireland national team.

As an ex-Celtic player plying his trade with Aberdeen, McGinn knows the drill but will try to channel his reaction into a performance which will trouble Steven Gerrard’s team at the national stadium.

‘The Rangers fans give me stick but that always spurs me on,’ said McGinn. ‘I take it with a pinch of salt. It’s a strange one for me because a lot of Rangers fans also support Northern Ireland.

‘Over the years most of the Northern Ireland fans have been brilliant with me — as long as you’re giving 100 per cent on the pitch for your country, it’s never an issue.

‘But there’s always one or two in the crowd who will give you grief. I have to use that as inspiration to do well and succeed.’

McGinn has developed an immunity to derogatory chanting and none of it can come close to his experience of 2011 when, in common with fellow Northern Irish Catholics Neil Lennon and Paddy McCourt, he was sent bullets in the post.

‘I’ve never had any real, major problems off the pitch since then,’ says McGinn. ‘Living in Glasgow, there was always one or two things but the majority were fine with me.’

McGinn made 35 appearances for Celtic but only really got his career going after signing for Aberdeen in 2012. Originally acquired by Craig Brown, he became integral to the work undertaken by Derek McInnes, who was appointed the following year.

A member of the Dons’ League Cup-winning side in 2014, McGinn matured with McInnes’ team and was a massive presence within the team that finished runners-up in all three competitions in 2016-17.

The pain of being pipped at each post by Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic was compounded by the break-up of that line-up, with McGinn one of several players to depart for a fresh scene that summer.

His choice of destination — South Korean club Gwangju — was sound financially but less so when it came to developing his career. Barely six months later he was back at Pittodrie for a second spell.

‘If I hadn’t gone to Korea I’d probably have thought: “What if?”,’ he reflects. ‘I had no ties at home and was still young.

‘There was nothing standing in my way and I just went for it. I’m thankful the opportunity came up, it was a new experience in big stadiums with good crowds. But you definitely miss what we’ll have on Sunday.

‘You miss how much Scottish people love their game and the hatred amongst the fans. It’s atmospheres like games against Rangers, Celtic, cup games at Hampden, that you miss when you’re away in a place like that.

‘When I left, I had a lot more offers and clubs interested so it actually benefited me. But I’ve always been loyal to Aberdeen, the club’s always been good to me. It’s a place I’ve enjoyed working in, especially with the manager here.’

Now 31, McGinn knows time is running out to add more medals to his collection.

If a certain apathy among the Aberdeen support has been exposed by the club’s failure to fulfil its initial demand for a 50-50 ticket split, McGinn does not expect the crowd issue to be decisive.

‘When Motherwell played Rangers in last season’s League

Cup semi-final, they didn’t have as big a crowd as Rangers,’ he argues. ‘They turned up on the day, played really well and Louis Moult scored two goals to get them to the final.

‘And if their fans get impatient with their team, that can be a positive for us. If we’re on top, creating chances, the moans and groans will come from the Rangers end.

‘We need to use whatever we can to get us to the final.’

Aberdeen’s semi-final record under McInnes is mixed and the most recent, last season’s 3-0 Scottish Cup defeat to Motherwell, was arguably the most dispiriting of all.

‘We’ve been in plenty semi-finals and, looking back, there haven’t been too many brilliant games,’ added McGinn.

‘We didn’t really show up against Motherwell last season.

‘You don’t get many, so you have to try to make the most of them. Rangers will probably have more possession than us on Sunday but we have to be good when we get it. The first few passes to get us out and create chances will be vital.

‘It’s a big pitch so, hopefully, the likes of myself and Gaz (MackaySteven) can take advantage of that. Rangers are coming off the back of a European game, so that might go in our favour too.’

Rangers supporters dish out stick but that always spurs me on