McINNES: KILLIE CAN MARCH ON TO CUP FINAL GLORY

DEREK McINNES last night insisted there’s no reason Kilmarnock can’t shock Celtic and go on to lift the League Cup. Last season’s Championship winners are rank outsiders in this evening’s semi-final at Hampden as they bid to book a final appearance against the winners of tomorrow’s semi-final clash between Rangers and Aberdeen. McInnes previously won the League Cup with Aberdeen in 2013, while Ross County and St Johnstone are the only other teams outwith Celtic to claim the trophy in the last 10 years. The Killie boss, whose current club were League Cup winners in 2012, believes any top-flight team that reaches the last four must dream of then going on and lifting the silverware. McInnes (below) said: ‘I’ve always felt cup competitions give you the best opportunities of success and if you are a Premiership team — as we are — why not us? ‘Why should it be up to someone else to perform in semi-finals and finals? Over the course of time, as we start to put the bricks in place here, we want to be a very strong cup team as well as an established Premiership team again. ‘I don’t think we are putting ourselves under any pressure to perform in wanting to be a good cup team. It is important you are a good cup team. I want to go far in the Scottish Cup as well.’ McInnes has tasted both highs and lows in his previous semi-finals as a manager with St Johnstone and Aberdeen. Should he claim Celtic’s scalp tomorrow, he is determined the Kilmarnock players and staff will savour the moment. ‘You feel the enormity of defeats more than you enjoy the highs of winning, and that is something I’d like to change,’ he added. ‘The enjoyment has to be there. I want them to enjoy it, but we aren’t just going there to enjoy the day. It is about winning and bringing the performance that we need to bring. ‘If we get a positive result, I’m determined to try to enjoy the moment more because you wallow in the defeats and pain. It (losing) is so much worse.’ McInnes believes his side can even take heart from last week’s 2-0 loss at Parkhead in the Premiership. His team were holding firm until a lapse in concentration saw Jota score on the cusp of half-time. An Ash Taylor own goal completed the scoring after the break. McInnes said: ‘Everybody reads about Celtic’s domestic record at home, how strong they’ve been in the cup, how many talented players they have and how good they are going. And if we had taken a right sore one last Saturday, it would have been a hard sell for me this week. ‘I have been at Celtic Park as player and manager when your goal is getting peppered and your goalie is pulling off world-class saves — and it wasn’t like that last Saturday. Celtic scored with their first shot on target. ‘They were the better team and deserved to win. We have to find a way for that not to be the case this time.’