Graeme Shinnie on captaining two Scottish Cup winning teams

The National

24-05-2025

'I knew if I did it today that I'd be the first captain to win the Scottish Cup with two clubs,' said Shinnie, who was the skipper when Inverness Caledonian triumphed against Falkirk back in 2015. 'To make this sort of history, it's a very overwhelming feeling.'
The former Scotland internationalist and his team mates, though, were never daunted by the prospect of playing their treble-chasing opponents in the denouement of the Scottish Gas-sponsored competition and always believed they could upset the odds and give their supporters a day to remember.
He stressed that he was fully in favour of manager Jimmy Thelin – who abandoned his usual 4-2-3-1 formation and switched to a 3-4-3 set-up – changing his tactics and firmly believed the bold switch would reap rich rewards.
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'Everyone wrote us off and maybe rightly so,' said Shinnie. 'We've tried to play our own way in the games against Celtic and it hasn't worked. The manager's got a style of playing that he wants. But we knew in this game we had to try to do something different. We've done that, we gave ourselves a chance and it's paid off.
'It was very brave of the manager to change his tactics. But I think it's good management. I think it's what we needed. It's what a lot of people probably thought was needed. We needed to be harder to beat. We wanted to make it hard for them.
'The first half was disappointing because we defended so well. We didn't have a shot, but they didn't have much either. Then you concede from a set-piece, which is disappointing. But when you win you don't care how the game's gone or how you played.
'It's what you want in football. You want to leave a legacy. You want people to remember you. I've had a lot of opportunities to win silverware and I haven't managed to do it. But I've never shied away from it, it's what I want.
'Coming into this one I thought this could be my last to try and make it work. Now I don't have to worry anymore about winning in the future. I still want more. I still would love to win more, but I could retire tonight and be happy.'
Aberdeen, who fell behind shortly before half-time when Alfie Dorrington inadvertently turned a Cameron Carter-Vickers' header into his own net, came back into the game when Thelin put on Dante Polvara, Oday Dabbagh, Pape Habib Gueye and Shayden Morris. They levelled when Kasper Schmeichel turned a Morris cross into his own net.
(Image: Jane Barlow - PA Wire) 'That was part of the plan,' said Shinnie. 'Staying in the game, being in the game to the end, and then bringing the firepower on to try to go on and win it. It was maybe a case of trying to get back in the game originally. But then after that we were trying to push on and win. Then we sat in looking for penalties after that.'
Shinnie took Aberdeen's first penalty after his Celtic counterpart Callum McGregor had seen Dimitar Mitov save his spot kick - and he buried his attempt from 12 yards confidently.
'In the League Cup final with Inverness in 2014 I took a knock in extra time and I didn't take a pen,' he said. 'Ever since then, I've regretted that. Every time there's been a penalty shootout, I've wanted to go first. I'm the captain of the club. I want to lead. I want to be the one that sets the tune.
'My legs were a bit tired, so I don't know how I found the top corner. But I felt confident going up and taking the pen. I actually had a go at Dimi yesterday because he didn't save a pen while we were practising them. But he's been the hero today.'
Bulgarian keeper Mitov sparked wild celebrations in the Aberdeen end of Hampden and back in the Granite City when he denied Alistair Johnston. The victory clinched a place in the Europa League play-off round next season for the Pittodrie club - and guaranteed them European football.
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'That is massive,' said Shinnie. 'It is vitally important. Let's not beat around the bush, we had a really up and down season and we had a really poor end to the season, which put us to fifth.
'That's not the end of the world, but it's not where we felt we should have been. But in football you always get another chance and this was our last chance of the season to make it work. And we've won it.'
Shinnie's younger brother Andrew plays for Livingston and will be involved in the second leg of the Premiership play-off final against Ross County in Global Energy Stadium on Monday night. His sibling will not, however, be there cheering him on.
'I told Andrew before the game he might see me in Dingwall,' he said. 'But he won't anymore. They've got a good chance as well. I'll be cheering them on. I don't know where from, but I'll be cheering them on.
'The city will be bouncing tomorrow. Aberdeen fans have waited a long time for the Scottish Cup, 35 years or whatever it is. They deserve it. They've backed us through a rocky season.'