Derek McInnes has admitted that he’s aiming to win the Scottish Cup after dumping Rangers out in last night’s quarter-final replay.
The Dons now face Celtic in the semi-finals next month at Hampden but McInnes wants to go all the way and lift the trophy at the National Stadium in May.
McInnes knows his side face a massive test against Neil Lennon’s Celtic but is confident they can get past another “big hurdle” and win the cup.
“It’s significant for us only in that we’re in a semi-final again and we want to go and win the tournament that goes without saying,” McInnes told the Evening Times. “We’re going to have to do it the hard way.
“When the draw was made and then after the draw at Pittodrie, and it came out that it would be Celtic, winning the trophy would seem a million miles away for most people but we’ve overcome a big hurdle tonight and we’re going to have to overcome another hurdle in the semi-final against a good Celtic team.”
Since McInnes took charge at Pittodrie, the Dons have reached the Scottish Cup final once – losing to Celtic – and haven’t lifted the trophy since beating the Hoops on penalties in 1990.
With Hearts facing Inverness Caley Thistle in the other semi, the winner of the Aberdeen v Celtic clash will surely be favourites in the final.
Despite looking like losing out on second place in the league for the first time in four seasons, lifting the Scottish Cup would be a brilliant achievement for McInnes’ side.