Barry Robson must have felt a noticeable weight of pressure lift from his shoulders at full-time on Saturday evening.
Reaching a cup final in his first full season in charge of the Dons is a notable achievement for Robson – and it could be even better if he can lead Aberdeen to silverware at Hampden on December 17.
When Robson was placed in interim charge of the Dons in January following Jim Goodwin’s exit, his aim was clear.
He had to quickly restore pride after a series of embarrassing results and ensure the club avoided being dragged into an end-of-season survival scrap.
The former Scotland international surpassed all expectations with a magnificent winning run which culminated in the Dons claiming third place and guaranteed European group-stage football.
Robson more than proved he deserved a crack at the job on a permanent basis but his instant success meant the demands and expectations had shifted considerably by the start of this season.
Huge turnaround
There was a huge turnaround in players as the Dons tried to assemble a squad capable of challenging on all fronts.
Robson had to be patient for some of his new recruits to get in the building while others who have arrived with decent reputations have barely featured.
One win in his first nine competitive games of the season – a nervy 2-1 victory at Stirling Albion – had the doubters out in force.
But Robson appears to have a helpful habit of getting results and performances when he needs them most.
The Dons went down 2-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt in September but produced a hugely encouraging display on a night when many supporters were likely fearing a heavy defeat.
That was followed by a swashbuckling 4-0 home win against Ross County and all of a sudden the Dons were up and running.
The 2-1 quarter-final victory against County in Dingwall days later was huge followed by an impressive 3-1 victory against Rangers at Ibrox which ended Michael Beale’s time in charge.
The Dons will feel they should have won at least one if not both of their recent Conference League home games against HJK Helsinki and PAOK but they have far from disgraced themselves on the European stage.
Busy schedule has proved tough
Getting used to the demands of playing big European games on a Thursday followed by league games on a Sunday against teams who have had a full week to prepare has been a challenge.
The 0-0 draw with St Johnstone and 2-0 loss at Kilmarnock were proof of that.
But the excellent 4-2 win at Motherwell midweek followed by the gritty 1-0 triumph over Hibernian at the weekend shows the Dons are heading in the right direction.
And Robson was right to point out that Aberdeen went into Saturday’s showdown under more challenging circumstances than their opponents.
Hibs had back-to-back home games and an additional day to prepare for the semi-final following their match against Ross County on Tuesday.
The Dons, by contrast, went from facing PAOK last Thursday to a trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday then another journey south to Motherwell on Wednesday before Saturday’s game at Hampden.
Robson felt he had no choice but to keep the squad in Glasgow following the Motherwell game and that proved a shrewd call.
An Inverurie loon done good, the Dons fans are desperate for Robson to be a success.
Robson still cutting his teeth
The issue this season has been that, at times, the gap between the team’s floor and ceiling has been too big.
There have been some excellent displays but also some that have been well below par.
But this is an Aberdeen team in transition and Robson is still cutting his teeth in the management game.
He deserves time to get it right and he will surely get that after leading the team to a cup final.
In his first season in charge at Pittodrie, Alex Ferguson guided the Dons to a League Cup final thanks to a 1-0 semi-final win against Hibernian.
They went on to lose 2-1 to Rangers in the final but the experience proved vital for the good times that were to follow.
Robson will hope his first final has a happier ending and also points to an even more promising period ahead.
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