Stefan Gartenmann hopes the Aberdeen supporters can be proud of their team once again despite their heart-breaking Scottish Cup semi-final defeat.
The Dons and Celtic produced one of the best semi-finals in the history of the competition as they fought out a thriller at Hampden on Saturday.
A see-saw encounter saw the Dons lead early then fall behind before grabbing a last minute equaliser to force extra-time.
The Hoops regained the lead in stoppage time of the first half of extra-time before the Dons equalised again in the 120th minute to take the tie to a penalty shootout where the Hoops eventually emerged victorious, 6-5.
The disappointment was etched on the Aberdeen players’ faces at the end of an emotional rollercoaster of an afternoon at the National Stadium.
But, from being decried as not fit to wear the shirt following a 1-0 defeat at Dundee on March 13, Gartenmann believes even in defeat he and his team-mates have restored pride at Pittodrie.
The central defender said: “I think they were proud of us today and we were proud to be Aberdeen players.
“That crowd response showed they were special.
“They gave us the extra percentages and hopefully we’ll bring that same level of performance.
“Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for the games to come.”
‘It was a crazy game’
Aberdeen’s fighting spirit at the National Stadium was clear for all to see as the Dons refused to concede defeat in their bid to reach the final.
There would be no happy ending for the Dons but even in the agony of defeat Gartenmann believes there were plenty of positives for his side.
He said: “It was a crazy game, absolutely. Our fans kept right at it and that was really nice.
“Obviously there were a lot of Celtic fans, but we heard our fans the whole game.
“They made sure they were heard and we could feel them at all times.
“I think that gave us the edge to get back in it when we did, twice.
“The last goal was in the 119th minute. It was an absolutely crazy game and I’m just sad we couldn’t turn it in our favour.
We gave it all we could, physically and mentally.”
Aberdeen FC defender Stefan Gartenmann
“It was absolutely a rollercoaster of emotions. I think it was the same in the stands.
“One minute we were flying and back in the game, then the next minute we were down again.
“It looked like a lost game a few times but it says a lot about the willpower in this squad, to come back twice – in the 90 minutes and in extra-time.
“There wasn’t much left in the tank at the end there, on either side, I think.
“We gave it all we could, physically and mentally.
“Penalties are then a lottery.
“Celtic had that little advantage. They had the luck and the quality to win it at the end and that’s football.”
Gartenmann backs team-mate Phillips to bounce back from penalty miss
A game which ebbed and flowed in both sides’ favour was eventually settled by spot-kicks with Ryan Duncan missing for the Dons before Joe Hart also passed up a chance to win it for Celtic.
However, the Hoops goalkeeper, who will retire in the summer, made amends as he saved Killian Phillips’ spot-kick to book a return to Hampden for next month’s final.
On-loan Crystal Palace midfielder Phillips was consoled by his team-mates at the end of a pulsating encounter and Gartenmann is confident the Irishman will bounce back.
He said: “Killian is fine. Nobody blames him for anything.
“He had the balls to step up and we all respect that.
“He’s fine and he’s a confident lad. I’m sure on Monday he’ll be OK, he’s very strong mentally.
“It’s not very nice for him now, but he’ll learn from this. I’ve been in this situation and sometimes you think back on it.
“But these are the moments that make a good player. If you’re able to bounce back from it, that shows real strength mentally.
“I’m absolutely certain he’ll be back flying in no time.”
Dons turn their attention to league survival
There will be no second cup final appearance for the Dons this season following their semi-final defeat.
But Gartenmann believes his team-mates must take the positives from their performance into their remaining league games as they bid to ensure they are not involved in the play-offs.
The Dons are five points clear of Ross County, who occupy the play-off position of 11th place, with five matches remaining.
Gartenmann, whose side welcome Motherwell to Pittodrie on Saturday, said: “I think people can see now we are a good team. We just haven’t shown it enough.
“At the end of the day, we also lost and that’s kind of been the story of our season.
“But there are so many positives to take from this game.
This doesn’t mean anything if we can’t bring it into Motherwell on Saturday.”
Defender Gartenmann on the Dons’ relegation fight
“At times we were really on top of Celtic and they were feeling like we kept coming at them.
“That was getting to them. Of course there were periods when we had to drop back a bit, but I think we felt at least on the pitch in control for long spells.
“People watching this game could see this is a really good team we have.
“We cannot only show that at Hampden in the big games. We need to show it against Motherwell at home and away to Livi.
“This doesn’t mean anything if we can’t bring it into Motherwell on Saturday.
“We have to switch focus quickly and finish the season strongly.”
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