Aberdeen v St Johnstone

View From the Dugout |

Derek McInnes

“It’s a game that’s been eagerly anticipated by everyone and we’re looking forward to it. It’s the type of game we want to be involved in at Aberdeen. I think for the players, the staff and the supporters certainly it’s a game that we are all itching to get involved in and get started.

“Supporters and some of the staff and players have been through tough days in the cups but that means nothing. Cup competitions are all about on the day and on Saturday, we play St Johnstone not 15 years of history.

“The players have got the club into a situation where we can be successful, and I can’t speak highly enough of them and their efforts. But they know full well that we still have it all to do, not least in this competition. We are the same 90 minutes away from the final as the other three clubs. When you start to get this close, the supporters start to picture the cup final but we have always said that we take it one game at a time.

“All along I’ve said we’ve got to try and be professional. We are well aware of what’s happening out there but I do think we have to make sure there is the same focus, the same level of concentration that we’ve shown consistently this season.

“My hope is that the players just concentrate on the game and play to the standards we have reached this season, then everything will take care of itself. Play the game and not the occasion, go out and do what you have been doing for the majority of the season”.

It’s a great opportunity for us – it’s the same opportunity as it is for St Johnstone obviously – but it’s one we are determined to make the most of.

“We are well aware of the level of support that’s going to be there for us and getting right behind us. I think it’s important to utilise that support. Having three quarters of the ground getting right behind us, we have to try and take full advantage of that. The support have their part to play, it’s not just enough being there in numbers- although we are grateful for that- it’s important they don’t get too anxious and they get right behind the team, however the game is going, whether the game’s going well for us, a stalemate or we have to come from behind, they have to stay with us.

“I think that the players have shown real perseverance and determination- not only in the cups to get us here but in the league as well.

“We have to believe we are good enough to get through the 90 minutes and win the game. St Johnstone games are normally very tight and I am sure it will be a tense affair, but what an opportunity for both teams to reach a League Cup final. Sometimes it comes down to mental strength and teamwork as much as ability and I think we have shown we have that this season.”

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View From the Dressin Room |

Barry Robson

“I took a little injury last week but I am ok and ready to play.

“Every game is a big game. Whether it is a league game or whether it is a cup game it has to be treated the same. It is one we are looking forward to and it is one we have prepared well for. It is a game we are excited about.

“Being at a club like Aberdeen we are all used to the expectation levels. We have done ok so far this season and got ourselves into a good position but the hardest part is away to come. We have worked hard so far this season and we need to keep working. We have to keep listening to the instructions the coaches give us and have to keep being organised and keep giving it all we have got.

“St Johnstone are a good side. They have players who can hurt us. It is going to be a difficult game as it was when we played them in Perth a few months back. We know it will be a hard game and we understand that but we have prepared well all week. We will know everything we need to know about the opposition.

“In my opinion the team that wins on a Saturday is the team that wants it most. A cup semi final or a big game is no different.

“We will give it everything we have got.”

Jonny Hayes

“I don’t really read the papers so we are maybe a bit sheltered from the hype surrounding the game. We have had so many games in the past six or seven weeks we have not had time to even think about it. All we do is concentrate on the next game. It was only last Saturday night after the Motherwell game that the manager turned our attentions to this game.

“I appreciate how big a game it is for the fans but as players we have to treat it like we do every game. In big games like this nothing is really different until you go out onto the pitch and see the big crowd but we have been getting good crowds all season. When the whistle goes you do not really think about anything. I can’t speak for everyone but personally I have never lost focus in a game whatever the occasion. You don’t think about anything else apart from what you are going to do next in the game.

“This week the preparation is been the same as every other game we play. I keep to the same routine as I do every week.

“We hope it does not go that far but we have been practicing penalties.

“I think the fans saw last week what Adam Rooney brings to the team. He does a lot of unselfish work and creates space for others to run into. He is such a willing runner and he opens up space for the likes of me, Niall and Peter. In the second half at Motherwell we had so much time on the ball in and around the penalty area because of the work Adam does. He is a good finisher as well, he is a good poacher but as I say has a lot more to his game because of what he brings to the team. He runs all day. He is going to be a very good asset for the team. We have quite a good understand from our time together at Inverness. We know when to run and we know where each other are going to be. We link up well.”

Russell Anderson

“It is a long time since I was last involved in a semi-final. I think I was 20 at the time in 2000 when we played Dundee United in the League Cup and Hibernian in the Scottish Cup at Hampden and thankfully, we won both though we were beaten by the Old Firm in the two finals. When you get two in a season at that age, you think that’s how it is, but experience shows it’s not that easy to get to the later stages of cup competitions after all. When these chances come, you must try to make the most of them and you must come off the field at the end with no regrets, knowing you’ve done everything you could in the game.

“Tynecastle is probably one of the best atmospheres in Scotland to be honest. Ticket sales suggest we will have the majority of the crowd so we will have a big backing behind us. The supporters are close to the pitch so it’s a venue I think we will enjoying playing at, especially if we can come out on top.

“Experienced players are important on these occasions. We will be focused, the preparation has been the same as it is for every game, the preparation will be the same and hopefully the experienced players can help keep a lid on things for the younger players who haven’t gone through this before.

Mark Reynolds

“I have been involved in a few semi finals. Losing a semi final is very difficult to take because you come so far, put so much effort in but get no reward.

“We go into this semi final looking forward to it because we are on a good run. All season we have just been taking one game at a time. Now this game is here we will be doing the same.

“Personally I do think people give a bit more in big games. Although that does not go with the mantra of giving 100% every game, I think it is just human nature. Big players rise to the occasion. If you want to be a big player then you need to step up and put in a bigger performance in these types of games. I think the good thing this season is Aberdeen has more of those players. Guys who we know will step up to the plate when the chips are down. When you have seven or eight guys who are going to do that every game it is a lot easier for you to go into games and winning them.

“For me I like playing in front of big crowds. The more people the better. The bigger the occasion the better. You see the size of the club on these occasions when the fans come out in such large numbers. A big vocal support makes such a difference, your energy levels go through the roof when you have that support behind you. The boys get such a lift from it.

“St Johnstone are a hard working side and that is why they have had the successes in recent years. They set up well. It is going to be a very difficult game.

“A semi final and a final take on a different dimension. Form goes out the window. Previous results go out the window. It is a matter of who turns up on the day and who wants in more. Hopefully it is Aberdeen who is going through to the semi final at 4.45pm.”