LAST FIVE SEMI-FINALS
Scottish League Cup semi-final, February 2010 (Hampden): St Johnstone 0 Rangers 2
A snow-covered Hampden Park welcomed a Saints side dreaming of a cup giant-killing against Rangers.
Current squad members Liam Craig and Murray Davidson were both in the Perth line-up that day.
Chelsea assistant manager Jody Morris patrolled the middle of the park while Cillian Sheridan was deployed up top on his own.
Rangers took the lead through Steven Davis on 26 minutes. There was great importance placed on keeping it tight through to the break.
But Lee McCulloch’s 37th minute strike from the edge of the box slipped out of the grasp of goalkeeper Graeme Smith.
He would later save a Steven Naismith penalty but Saints were comfortably beaten.
Scottish Cup semi-final, April 2011 (Hampden): St Johnstone 0 Motherwell 3
Perhaps the most disappointing of the lot. What a chance to reach the final of the Scottish Cup. But Saints seemed to freeze in a first half which, still to this day, haunts supporters and former players.
Michael Duberry recently revealed as much in an interview with the Perthshire Advertiser.
There was such belief that Saints had the ability to book a ticket to the showdown match and it made the manner of the defeat all the more disappointing.
Stephen Craigan opened the scoring for‘Well, followed up by goals from Jamie Murphy and John Sutton – all before the break. Saints huffed and puffed in the second half but the damage had well and truly been done.
Scottish League Cup semi-final, February 2014 (Tynecastle): St Johnstone 0 Aberdeen 4
The rain poured down on a day where St Johnstone’s final hopes were well and truly extinguished by Aberdeen.
It was the worst possible start when a poor clearance from goalkeeper Steve Banks gifted possession back to the Dons. And when the ball was eventually worked to Jonny Hayes, he rolled into the back of the net on three minutes.
And matters didn’t improve any when Peter Pawlett added a second just after half an hour.
Adam Rooney put the game beyond any doubt in the 63rd minute before Hayes poured salt over the Perth wounds late on. A picture of a Saints fan slumped in his seat long after full-time, casting an eye over the Tynecastle surface as the rain pelted down, told its own story.
Scottish Cup semi-final, April 2014 (Ibrox): St Johnstone 2 Aberdeen 1.
A chance for revenge. And what a day it was for the St Johnstone faithful. One of the finest.
This semi-final story appeared to be following a similar script when Niall McGinn raced clear to give Aberdeen a 15th-minute lead.
As the game entered the second half, Saints battled to find a way back into the game. Supporters spurred them on with passion.
Step forward local hero Stevie May. The striker swept home the equaliser on 61 minutes. The celebratory scenes were wonderful.
Not, however, as good as those which followed in the 83rd minute when he latched on to Steven MacLean’s pass to smash in the winner.
The Perth forward wasted little time in whipping off his top and running towards fans.
Scottish League Cup semi-final, January 2016 (Tynecastle): St Johnstone 1 Hibernian 2
Much of the talk after this was about the controversial penalty Hibs received early in the match.
Liam Henderson had cut in front of Perth stalwart Chris Millar before hitting the deck under minimal, if any, contact.
Referee Steven McLean pointed straight to the spot and Jason Cummings rolled into the corner for a 1-0 advantage. But Saints’heads did not drop. And instead a David Wotherspoon corner was nodded in by big Joe Shaughnessy on 33 minutes.
Simon Lappin struck the crossbar in the second half but it was Hibs who grabbed the winner with 15 minutes remaining. John McGinn, now of
Aston Villa and Scotland international stardom, struck to send the Leith men to the final.