Jimmy Thelin spoke to the media on Friday morning to preview our Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Semi-Final match with Hearts at Hampden Park.

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Team News

“We have some players with some small issues. Dimi (Mitov), Gavin (Molloy) and Jamie (McGrath) are back in full training. They have been now for more or less one and a half, to two weeks. We have good options to find the right balance in the squad for the game tomorrow. They are ready to play.

“It’s important to have options in the last part of the season.

“I wasn’t expecting to have Gavin and Jamie back so quickly. They have done really well. They are available now for the last games of the season, that’s good. Jamie is a really good character and he’s fully here with his mind and heart. He is contracted to Aberdeen Football Club, he is still an Aberdeen player and really focused.

“Kristers (Tobers) is not quite ready. Sometimes some injuries go a little bit quicker and that’s always difficult to say exactly when they’re back. He has been on the pitch a little bit but he’s not ready yet.”

Hearts at Hampden

“I am looking forward to the game. It’s a big Semi-Final. It’s an important game, an exciting game. We know how much it means for everyone involved, staff, players, supporters, everyone.

“They are a good team. They have good players. They have a clear idea. The games before have been really tight against them, and now it’s a Semi-Final. Everybody wants to go to the Final. So it’s a lot of things involved in this game. My expectation is it’s going to be a really tight game.

“A Cup game is a Cup game. I still think we are in a good run. Everybody knows about the game we played against Rangers. Performance wise, was quite strong in that game also, and even the game before that one. But we also know that football is football, and you have to perform tomorrow. You always have to be the next game and be fully focused on the right things, the right priorities, and tomorrow we need to show our best side again.”

Reflections on Rangers

“Sunday night was not one of the best ones, but also you have to understand that another game is coming really quickly now, and it’s an important one. That’s the skill you have to have if you work in football. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You have to show up and focus on the next target. Now it’s a Semi-Final, so of course, you have to get it out of the system but Monday morning, you have to focus on the right things again.”

Strong Mentality

“You always learn, whoever you play, you start to understand your players better, what we can achieve. It’s always a learning process, the whole career, every year, new players, new squad. It is a Cup game, we need to be smart in our decision making, but also be brave in our identity, and don’t change too much just because it’s a Semi-Final, but in some areas, we have to be really sharp.

“That’s the mentality we always try to build (leave everything on the pitch). What we’re aiming for in the long term is that everybody should feel and know how Aberdeen is going to perform on the pitch, the identity needs to be clear, but then also there is an opponent on the other side. That’s why we love this sport, it’s not so easy always to predict what’s going to happen, but you have to have a strong belief what you want to happen, how you want to perform, or how we want to play, and that’s the confidence that we’re building, that we’re going to try to do our things and, of course, respect Hearts and their strengths, but also try to, with our principles and identity, find a weakness and try to win this game.

“Every competition, you have to try to win. Everybody knows how difficult it is to win a trophy, but still, you have to believe you can, and you have to try everything you have. It’s a long time ago now (that Aberdeen last won the Scottish Cup), and of course, we’re going to try and if we succeed everybody will be happy.”

A Year in Charge

“It feels that it has gone really, really quickly. I have to say it’s quite an intense and exciting year. A lot of positive challenges, a lot of change. I think that the environment with the people who are working here is top. It’s really, really top. I think it’s a good environment to grow as a coach and everybody wants so much, and aiming for good success in the future and even now. This hunger and to be a part of this one is really exciting. We’re trying to find ways to be even better all the time and grow together.”

Experience of Big Games

“The best way to learn to manage these kind of games is to live them and to be there. Now we have had some big games this season and I think the more exposure you get to this as a player, you’re more used to it. You try to do your normal things. You try to prepare the expectations and the tension in training sessions but also the best way is to live the games and taking learning points from the last Semi-Final or the Rangers game now and do some parts a little bit better in this critical moment inside the game. It’s one thing to talk about it after, but then next time the pressure comes, we have to be better to keep doing the basics all the time. That’s why, I think, how the players have grown this season, I’m so proud of them, and they they look really sharp now for the game tomorrow.”