The Scottish Cup represents unfinished business for Aberdeen winger Niall McGinn.
Defeat by Celtic in the cup final last May – McGinn’s last game for the Dons before he headed for South Korea – left a sour taste after his corner kick had led to Jonny Hayes putting the Reds in front. But Stuart Armstrong levelled and Tom Rogic won it for the Hoops in stoppage time.
McGinn had come close before. He scored in the 2014 semi-final defeat by St Johnstone in which Aberdeen were undone by a double from McGinn’s new team-mate Stevie May.
Success in the national competition has narrowly eluded the Northern Ireland international. But putting that right, starting with their fourth-round tie against St Mirren next week, was a big incentive for McGinn to come back for a second spell at Pittodrie.
He said: “It was a massive incentive for me to come back here as there’s a feeling of unfinished business in the competition after last season’s final. It was extremely disappointing especially after us getting the goal to go ahead against Celtic at Hampden that day.
“To concede so soon afterwards was a blow then it was really tough to take losing the way we did right at the end. That can only give you a sense of anger and frustration and you have got to use those feelings to motoivate you to get to another final.
“It has given us plenty of motivation to give it another good crack this time round and hopefully we can get to Hampden again and win this time. I have experienced what it’s like to win a trophy with Aberdeen and the aim is to do that again in the Scottish Cup now.”
The Dons went closer than anyone last season to preventing Celtic finishing the domestic campaign unbeaten. Lessons were learned from the 3-0 League Cup final defeat by Brendan Rodgers’ men and the showpiece seemed destined for extra time before Rogic’s intervention. McGinn had teed up the Hayes opener but he was substituted with 15 minutes to go.
Aberdeen have not won the Scottish Cup since 1990, with McGinn just two years old when Brian Irvine scored the decisive penalty in a 9-8 shootout win against Celtic. Tasting League Cup success in 2014 has been the pinnacle of the 30-year-old’s career to date but triumph in Scotland’s most pre- stigious cup com- petition would super-sede that.
McGinn said: “The League Cup win against Caley Thistle was the highlight of my career but to win the Scottish Cup on my return to Aberdeen would top that off. It would be massive to finally lift the Scottish Cup with Aberdeen as we’ve already won the League Cup so that is the one we really want. We have obviously been very close to that in the past and felt that we had one hand on the trophy but it wasn’t to be.”
Aberdeen have had St Mirren’s number in recent seasons. You have to go back 14 games and more than six years to find the last time the Buddies bested the Dons.
However, Jack Ross’ side presents a very different prospect to the one that struggled mightily during its last season in the Premiership three years ago. The Paisley Buddies have established themselves as one of the key players in the Championship promotion race.
They head the table at the halfway stage and will be out to cause one of the tournament’s upsets.
McGinn added: “It is a competition that is very difficult to win as every round is tough and St Mirren will certainly be no different in that respect. But we know on our day that we are capable of beating anyone. Hopefully, I can hit the ground running in that one but being realistic I can do all the training I want but it will take a few games to get right up to speed.”