I’VE WISED UP TO WIND-UPS

McKenna will not let himself be affected by any mind games

INDULGING in a little psychological warfare on a football pitch is pretty much as old as the game itself. Whether you call it wind-ups, provocations or gamesmanship, the quest to gain an edge over your direct opponent can be a vital factor in the biggest of matches.

So, too, is the need for selfcontrol. There is little point in unsettling your opposite number if you tumble into a self-defeating rage when they bite back.

Scott McKenna considers that a lesson learned this season. And it is one he will keep foremost in his thoughts if the mind games begin to unfold at Hampden on Sunday.

The Scotland centre-back has no problem with arch-provocateur Scott Brown or anyone else in the Celtic ranks attempting to goad a reaction in their high-stakes Scottish Cup semi-final meeting. McKenna admits he will readily do the same if he thinks he could pick away at a weakness.

But it is not always that simple. A costly clash with Alfredo Morelos has left a lasting memory of how the consequences can cut both ways.

Morelos entered February’s visit to Pittodrie having already been sent off twice against Aberdeen. The first of those, later rescinded on appeal, came when he responded to a shove from McKenna on the opening day of the league season. A further collision between the pair felt inevitable.

It arrived in the second half. A tumbling tangle of legs saw McKenna catch Morelos with a high boot and the Rangers striker make an impact of his own. Referee Bobby Madden sent them both off and Aberdeen lost 4-2.

‘I actually tried to wind him up by having a little niggle, but I didn’t realise how raised my leg was,’ admitted McKenna.

‘It was up near his head so I couldn’t argue with that. It’s up to me to remain calm in those situations, even when they are trying to wind me up.

‘You can try and wind your opponent up but you can’t let it get the better of you, like I did when I reacted against Rangers.

‘If they are going to have a nibble back at you, then you have to try and let it slide. It’s all part of the game but I will learn from that and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.’

The 22-year-old insists mastering these darker arts of engagement is simply a pragmatic part of being a professional footballer. He reckons most in his trade would feel the same.

‘I don’t intentionally go out looking for it,’ stressed McKenna, who will captain Aberdeen as Graeme Shinnie is suspended.

‘But if you have an opportunity to try and get in someone’s head or wind them up a little bit, I think you’d be stupid not to take it because other players will be quick enough to do it to you if they sense that weakness.’

Brown spent most of the recent Old Firm game doing pretty much that. He laughed at Morelos after the Colombian lashed out at him to record a fifth red card of the season.

‘It you’re not overstepping the mark and someone reacts the way a couple of the Rangers players did then...’ considered McKenna.

‘You’ve really not done anything wrong, it’s up to them to try and control their temper and stay on the pitch. You’re well within your rights to try and get a little edge.’

McKenna did feel a line was crossed, however, when Aberdeen last met Celtic at Hampden. Mikael Lustig was accused of taunting Lewis Ferguson at the end of December’s 1-0 Betfred Cup final win for the Parkhead club.

‘That was a bit disappointing,’ reflected McKenna. ‘He was right in Fergie’s face, a 19-year-old boy. Lustig’s an experienced player, there was absolutely no need to do it.

‘They had won the cup, they’d beaten us and to try and rub it into someone that young, who hadn’t done anything wrong, I didn’t think that was right. But I have forgotten about it now.’

More important in terms of motivation is the memory of how much that defeat hurt. It was a different kind of pain from his first Hampden experience with Aberdeen — last season’s 3-0 thumping from Motherwell in the Scottish Cup last four.

‘The Motherwell one was a lot worse than the cup final because we were probably expected to win that game and we let ourselves down on the day,’ recalled McKenna.

‘Being named captain that day was a special moment for me but it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to.

‘In the final against Celtic we gave a really good account of ourselves and ran them close, it wasn’t like we were beaten comfortably. We had chances to take it to extra-time.’

McKenna’s future role as a captain of the club could come into sharp focus in the summer with Shinnie likely to leave the Dons.

He is out of contract at the end of the campaign and the 27-year-old has held talks with Derby over a move to the English Championship club.

Shinnie was pictured being given a tour of Pride Park yesterday as he weighs up his options. Bristol City, Sunderland and Wigan Athletic have also been linked with the player.