Graeme Shinnie: Leading Aberdeen to Scottish Cup glory against Celtic would ‘mean everything’ to Dons captain | Football News

Graeme Shinnie says it would ‘”mean everything” to captain Aberdeen to their first Scottish Cup title in 35 years.

Glory for the Dons at Hampden Park on Saturday would also end Celtic’s hopes of a ninth domestic treble.

It’s been a rollercoaster season for Jimmy Thelin’s side. They went 14 league games without a win following a 16-game unbeaten run at the start of the season and finished fifth in the Scottish Premiership.

Shinnie was just 23 when he skippered Inverness Caledonian Thistle to victory over Falkirk in the 2015 final, and now he is driven by the chance of landing a second winner’s medal on Saturday.

“I’ve never shied away from saying that it would mean everything. It would be massive for me,” he told Sky Sports News.

“It’s something that I’ve wanted for so long at this club, and it’s hard to do, of course, especially when you come up against teams like Celtic.

“But the last time I won it, we managed to beat them [in the semi-final], so there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.”

The 33-year-old played the full 120 minutes as the Dons eventually overcame nine-man Hearts to win 2-1 in extra time to progress to the final, with the club given an even split of the tickets for the end-of-season finale.

“It’s important again to have that backing,” Shinnie added.

“Even in the semi-final, they were maybe outnumbered, but they definitely weren’t out-sung.

“We could hear them throughout the game, which was important for us in that semi-final.

“To have 20,000-25,000 there backing us will be huge for us and we want to try and reward them.

“Winning trophies for a club is massive. For the players and the staff, it’s one of the best days but for the fans especially.

“Players come and go, managers come and go but the fans are the constant that are there all the time.

“To give them a Scottish Cup would mean everything to them so we’re determined to try and give them that.”

After a dramatic 2-2 draw with Celtic in their first Premiership meeting of the season, the Dons lost 6-0 to Brendan Rodgers’ side in the League Cup semi-finals.

Shinnie is hoping they can make amends and end Thelin’s first season in the Granite City on a high.

“I’ve done it before, which is probably one of the highlights of my career.” the midfielder said.

“I think it shows maybe my age, where I’m getting to, but I’ve had a long career and you have many highs, you have many lows in football as well.

“The highs outweigh the lows and yes we win on 24th, then I’d be a very happy man.”

Idah wants more Scottish Cup glory with Celtic

Adam Idah was Celtic’s hero in last season’s Scottish Cup final – his 90th-minute goal led them to glory against Rangers.

“That was one of the biggest moments in my career. To finish it the way I did was unbelievable.

“Of course, at that point I was only on loan, so I didn’t know what I was going to do. But no, it was a brilliant feeling for me.

“Whatever way you want to win it, you want to lift the Cup at the end of the game.

“Last season was one of the best ways you could do it, but at the same time it’s one of the most nerve-wracking ways.

“We want to go out there and do the best we can.

“Cup games are different. It’s not like league games. One team has to take the cup, so we want to be the best team and try and win the game.”

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