Derek McInnes knows a thing or two about Scottish Cup failure.
A year ago, with Aberdeen poised to finish second in the SPFL he guided his team to a 3-0 semi-final defeat to Motherwell who were safely tucked in the bottom half of the table.
Since replacing Craig Brown as manager he has mastered the art of finishing second to Celtic in four successive seasons.
With one League Cup victory on his CV he has looked on with envy as Inverness Caley Thistle, St Johnstone and Hibs have lifted the Scottish Cup.
Probably the most painful semi-final defeat came in 2014 when the then League Cup holders faced St Johnstone in the semi-final for a place in the final against Dundee United, the Dons had beaten Celtic in Glasgow in an earlier round.
Niall McGinn opened the scoring in the 15th minute but a second half double from Stevie May sent 4,000 Saints fans home to make plans for their first ever Scottish Cup Final.
Putting on his mind games hat, looking at Neil Lennon’s job prospects McInnes told the Daily Record: “He’s on a hiding to nothing really because if they don’t win the cup then it will be seen as a failure. The same wouldn’t have been said of Brendan, and that’s tough on them.
“That’s for them to worry about. For us, it’s about trying to beat Celtic because sometimes the manager’s part of it can be over-played.”
In last season’s semi final, a fortnight after winning 2-0 at Fir Park, Aberdeen lost 3-0 at Hampden to Motherwell in front of 18,470 fans. The Dons then went unbeaten through their top six fixtures to finish second to Celtic.
Four months ago in the last Hampden meeting between Celtic and Aberdeen the hoops won the Betfred Cup thanks to a goal from Ryan Christie.
You’ll be surprised by this salaryhttps://t.co/SY7BaEgGHB
— Joe McHugh (@videocelts) April 9, 2019
“Betting on a game can add extra excitement to a match, even when Celtic are concerned. Though it’s still all to play for in the Scottish Cup.”