Jim Duffy was sickened to discover that Morton’s BetFred Cup hopes had been undermined by a glaring refereeing mistake.
Adam Rooney was clearly in an offside position seven yards from goal as he took control of the ball to send a header into the net in the 69th minute. Neither Kevin Clancy or his assistant noted the position.
Morton hadn’t been unduly under pressure up until that point but as they chased an equaliser Kenny McLean killed the game off with the second goal in the 88th minute.
It was cruel luck for the Championship side who were appearing in a national semi-final for the first time in 35 years.
After the match Duffy said: “We don’t have an Adam Rooney and we maybe don’t have the experience, and the top teams wear you down by passing, keep changing the play, keep the pitch wide, and your boys are shuffling across the pitch.
“And eventually, maybe sometimes concentration just catches up on them but I’ve been told the first goal is offside and, if it is, it’s certainly going to stick in my throat.
“Believe me, if there’s an offside call tomorrow in the big game, they will make a big deal of it, that’s for sure.
“It’s such a huge turning point in the game. That was the most relaxed I felt in the game, that period. Aberdeen were beginning to get a wee bit edgy.
“They weren’t going to capitulate but the fans were getting a wee bit restless and our players were thinking ‘one good chance and we might just nick it’. The first goal was pivotal, no doubt about it.”
Craig Thomson will be in charge of tomorrow’s Hampden clash which will be screened live by BT Sport.