26-05-2025
'Hampden scenes and homecoming parade make Scottish Cup glory worth the wait'
From Albyn Place, down Union Street to the townhouse, thousands of Aberdeen fans erupted in joy as the Scottish Cup glistened in the late spring sunshine in the Granite City. The streets were a sea of red and Dons' squad, led by manager Jimmy Thelin and captain Graeme Shinnie shrugged off their late night to parade the silverware which had been won less than 24 hours what a triumph it had been, against all the odds had been whispers during the week that Thelin was going to switch his tactics after suffering at the hands of Celtic in recent clashes with the champions. He needed something different and it paid spectacular vanquishing of more than three decades of pain in the Scottish Cup was over. Stenhousemuir, Queen of the South, Darvel. The Dons' fans had their fair share of horror stories to tell along the way which probably made this victory all the fact chairman Dave Cormack compared it to the feeling of winning the Cup-Winners' Cup in 1983, on the club's greatest day, tells you all you need to know about how important it they looked assured with Alfie Dorrington, Mats Knoester and the impressive academy graduate Jack Milne standing up to everything Celtic threw at headline-maker was Dimitar Mitov, the Bulgarian replicating the great Theo Snelders all those years and decades ago, first saving when one-on-one with Daizen Maeda before keeping Callum McGregor and Alastair Johnston out in the subs also made the sort of impact they were making in the early part of the season, particularly Shayden Morris, Pape Gueye and Dante ultimate prize is of course the fact the Scottish Cup has returned to Pittodrie, which was its second home during the 1980s, but it also saw Aberdeen gazump Hibernian for the European spoils of guaranteed continental competition until December with a stab at the Europa League to come first. The bank balance will get a big boost as a result of fans have had their fair share of disappointments down the years, but the scenes at Hampden and then back home the day after will have made it worth the wait.
