Stewart Milne knows exactly how Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack will be feeling as he embarks on his first cup final since taking charge at Pittodrie.
The building magnate was chairman of the Dons from 1998 until December 2019 when he handed over the reins to Cormack.
Milne did so having given more than two decades of his life to the club as a chairman, but he remains a committed supporter and member of the Pittodrie boardroom.
Next year will mark 30 years since Milne joined the board at Aberdeen and in that time he has pretty much seen it all.
His chairmanship featured six cup final appearances and yielded just one trophy – the League Cup win over Caley Thistle in 2014.
Milne etched his name in the Dons’ history following the win at Celtic Park by swearing live on national radio after expressing his relief at having seen his side end 19 years without silverware in gruelling fashion.
Or, as he put it: “Nineteen years, 120 minutes and now f***ing penalties.”
The Dons director makes no apologies for his now legendary remark.
He said: “It demonstrates we all get carried away. I genuinely thought when I was standing with Chic Young I was just chatting with him and had completely forgotten we were on-air and doing it live.
“I’d spoken to so many people after the game and everyone was so full of enthusiasm.
“I was swept away by euphoria but it was one of the most memorable days of my lifetime. Anyone who was there won’t forget it.”
Robson can emulate Aitken in his first cup final as Aberdeen manager
For Milne, 73, the wait to celebrate a Dons win had been an arduous one.
He could have been forgiven for thinking trophies and celebrations would be the given the club had celebrated a League Cup win in 1995 just a year after he had become a director.
He said: “The 1995 League Cup win was a surprise as we had come through such a difficult campaign the prior season. It was unexpected, but a fantastic occasion.
“It was Roy Aitken’s first trophy and there are some parallels there between him and Barry (Robson) in that Roy took over from Willie (Miller) and was thrown in at the deep end before going on to deliver a trophy in his first full season.
“I’ll need to remind Barry of that before the final.”
‘We took over Celtic Park’
It was typical of Aberdeen that the chairman and supporters were put through an emotional wringer by Inverness at Celtic Park.
Installed as overwhelming favourites against the Highlanders, Dons fans came from far and wide to the east end of Glasgow in expectant mood.
They were treated to a poor game which ended goalless after 120 minutes before eventually being decided on spot-kicks.
Milne struggles to recall the game, but he will never forget the spectacle or the celebrations afterwards.
He said: “I’m not sure we’ll ever experience that again. Having 43,000 inside Celtic Park must be a record by some margin for us.
“It had been such a long time coming and in some ways being at Celtic Park made it even more special than being at Hampden.
“Celtic Park does deliver an amazing atmosphere and I remember saying to Peter Lawwell on the day when I walked out the board room into the directors’ box the atmosphere and what I was taking in was unbelievable.
“It was like one of Celtic’s top European games only we had effectively taken over Celtic Park. It was an amazing spectacle and the atmosphere was incredible.
“There aren’t too many memorable moments to recall. I remember Jonny Hayes going up in the air early on and it was easy to think it was an occasion where things would go against us.
“But I had the belief we had a manager with real drive and determination in Derek McInnes who had managed to instil it in his squad.
“They had belief in themselves and were strong individuals.
“It was by no means the best game any of us watched, but the period I was worried about most was extra-time.
“I was more confident about penalties as we had prepared for it, and, of course, it paid off with good penalties to win the cup.
“Afterwards there was real traffic problems getting back from Glasgow and we didn’t get back to the Marcliffe until 11pm. The team had made it back an hour before us.
“It was great to see everyone so happy then, and in the parade down Union Street, and hopefully that’s how we’ll be feeling after the final.”
How Milne became hooked by the Dons
Milne grew up a Dons supporter, but getting to Pittodrie from Alford was easier said than done as a youngster.
Family and work commitments also conspired to make trips to watch the team a sporadic occurrence.
But that soon changed towards the end of the 1980s and certainly once he got involved in a business capacity with the club.
Milne said: “I wasn’t the typical fan because we grew up out in the country and there wasn’t a lot of opportunities to go to games.
“I was a Dons fan from a distance through the P&J, which we had delivered every day.
“There was a local farmer who was a Dons fan and on the odd occasion there was a midweek game I’d get to go with him, but, on Saturdays, I was playing football.
“When I moved into Aberdeen and had served my time, Saturday was a work day.
“When I set up my business, Saturday and Sunday became work days.
“When my two older boys started taking an interest in football, I’d take them along to the odd game, but they both played school football and boys’ club football.
“I got involved with them and ended up running one of the Culter Boys Club teams for the best part of 10 years.
“You go along as an interested parent, and if you show up on a regular basis, there’s a good chance you get asked to join a committee, and before you know it, you are running a team.
“It was something I really enjoyed, but it meant I didn’t see a lot of Aberdeen games.
“I got more involved with the club in the late 80s and, of course, we landed the contract to build the Richard Donald Stand – that was the fatal mistake where I was really hooked.”
Lack of silverware is Milne’s big regret
An invite to join the board soon followed before Milne became vice-chairman and then chairman in 1998.
What followed was several cup final appearances, but, with the exception of the victorious League Cup campaign in 2014, the other five finals all had one thing in common – an Old Firm club standing in the Dons’ way.
Celtic in particular were strong and having just one trophy to show from Aberdeen’s period under Derek McInnes remains a source of frustration for the former chairman.
Milne said: “It would be interesting to see how many finals there have been without Rangers or Celtic involved.
“We were unlucky five of our six finals were against them and Celtic, in particular, were in a purple patch in that time.
“Under Derek we reached semi-finals and finals on a regular basis, but just couldn’t quite get over the final hurdle.
“Looking back it’s the one big disappointment.
“We went through a period of being one of the dominant teams in Scottish football for a period and the fact we only delivered one trophy in that period is disappointing.”
Stewart Milne: ‘I hope Dave can experience the joy I had’
Having passed the baton to Cormack in 2019, Sunday will be Milne’s first final since relinquishing his role as chairman and, of course, Cormack’s first final as chairman.
Milne hopes the chairman can savour the feeling he had nine years ago, and he believes Barry Robson’s side have a fighting chance of bringing the cup back to Aberdeen.
He said: “I can honestly say every game I watch I’m just a fan.
“It’s great to sit in a directors’ box, but you watch the game as a fan and only start thinking about the consequences good or bad after the game.
“Most people are like that. We get sucked into the game and see it like the fans see it. We get carried away and swear, too, sometimes at the referee.
“As for the final, everyone genuinely believes we’re in with a shout.
“If we play to our capabilities we can match Rangers.
“We recognise the squad they have and the threat they are, but on the day if our players can play at eight or nine out of 10, we are in with a good chance.
“I hope Dave can experience the joy that comes with winning a trophy.
“It would be just reward for the massive effort he has made since taking over as chairman. He’s learned over the last few years what the role entails.
“It is seven days a week and you never get away from it, but all credit to him for taking it on and hopefully his first real reward is coming.”
Conversation