Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie described watching last week’s Hampden humbling from the stands as one of the most frustrating moments of his career.
The 26-year-old missed the 3-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Motherwell due to suspension with the Dons desperately missing the former Caley Thistle’s player’s energy and industry in the middle of the park.
Shinnie returns to the Dons team for today’s Premiership meeting with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park hoping to make amends after last week’s disappointment.
He said: “That was the worst game I’ve had to sit through in my career. Not just through the game but before the game and the build-up to it.
“The league games I have missed out have been different.
“You can bounce back in the league, there’s time to make up the points. But in a cup game, it’s either you’re in or you’re out.
“Especially with it being a semi-final, being at Hampden, the atmosphere and being around the boys. It’s the toughest game I’ve had to sit out.
“I stayed at the team hotel on Friday and then I was in the dressing room before and after the game. It was not a nice place to be.
“Everyone was disappointed from the staff to the players.
“Everyone felt as though they had let the club and the supporters down. You have to be men.
“We’re at a club like Aberdeen and we have to learn from it. We have to stand up and be counted.”
Shinnie has missed four games through suspension this season with the Dons losing in all four without scoring a goal.
“But the Dons captain does not intend to change his tough-tackling approach, despite being booked 15 times in 36 games this term.
He added: “I don’t think I can change. It’s the way that I play and if I take that away I’m losing a massive part of my game.
“We’ve spoken about this so much over the season but it is a disappointing factor that I’ve missed big games through suspension.
“That’s a responsibility and I feel like I’ve sort of let the team down a wee bit and not been there to help them. It has been tough but I’m looking forward to getting back.”
Shinnie says the Dons are determined to put their Hampden disappointment behind them with a victory at Rugby Park this afternoon.
He added: “As players coming off a result like that you look to the next game to come as quickly as it can to try to change that.
“Although winning on Saturday won’t make up for last week’s loss, it’ll certainly help put us in the right direction.
“We’re looking for a reaction against Kilmarnock and a positive one.”