MacDonald played in the Reds side that ran Celtic close in the same stage of the competition 12 months ago
Sport Scott Burns 22:30, 15 Apr 2025
Angus MacDonald insists last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final heartbreak can help Aberdeen leave Hampden as heroes this time around.
Jimmy Thelin’s Dons take on Hearts – who pitch up having missed out on the Premiership top six – on Saturday in the first of the last-four showdowns.
Twelve months ago, MacDonald was part of the side under Peter Leven who took Celtic all the way to a 3-3 draw in extra-time before they eventually lost on penalties.
The centre-back said: “A Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden is massive. I am just keeping my fingers crossed the boys can get the victory this time.
“It’ll be tough but this Aberdeen team is more than capable of going to Hampden and winning this game. They’re playing on a Saturday.
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“That’s probably an advantage as well, going out and showing we’re going to lay down a marker here and show whoever’s in that final that we’re ready and we’re waiting for you’.
“Yes, definitely, there is a big rivalry there. Obviously Hearts are going to be hurting after what happened last weekend.
“They’ve also got some quality and Aberdeen can’t underestimate it, which I’m sure they won’t.”
A lot of Thelin’s signings got their first experience of Hampden when losing November’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final 6-0 to Celtic.
But for January signings including Alexander Jensen, Kristers Tobers, Jeppe Okkels and Oday Dabbagh, this will be their first visit to the National Stadium.
MacDonald knows that is where the experience of stalwarts such as Graeme Shinnie and Nicky Devlin will come to the fore.
The defender, now in League One at Exeter City, added: “Sometimes it’s hard because obviously the foreign boys probably don’t know what it is like playing at Hampden in the big games.
“That’s where the quality and the leadership comes in from the other lads. They’ll have explained to the boys what it means to play in these big games at Hampden and what it means to the fans.
“They deserve to get to a final and hopefully they will get that chance.”
Last season’s clash with Celtic was a roller coaster for MacDonald. On an afternoon he was named captain and led Aberdeen out in front of his proud family, the Dons took a deserved lead through Bojan Miovski before MacDonald got caught on the ball by Kyogo Furuhashi for a Celtic leveller.
The big Englishman said: “It was a roller coaster of emotions – the highs and lows in football summed up in one game. It was one of those.
“It started off as a very proud moment to walk the team out as captain. That’s when it probably really sunk in.
“We took the lead and I made the mistake that led to them equalising. I probably shouldn’t have spoken to Peter Leven before the game because he was like, ‘Just move the ball quickly because we know what Kyogo’s like, he can nick the ball off you quite quickly’.
“It probably subconsciously was in the back of my mind and I got caught on it from Kyogo. I knew I had properly messed up for the fans and my team-mates.
“I thought, ‘You’ve got the armband, it’s a big occasion, it’s a big game, we can go on to win this... just don’t make any more mistakes!’”
Celtic then went ahead through James Forrest but the Dons levelled in dramatic fashion thanks to Ester Sokler in the 90th minute.
Matt O’Riley put Celtic ahead in extra-time before MacDonald’s moment of redemption came with his 119th-minute headed goal.
He added: “I don’t know why, I don’t know how I ended up the pitch. Just because of obviously what happened in the first half, it was sort of like I made up for it.
“Just to see the fans... it was football limbs everywhere. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. The last minute is what dreams are made of.”
It went to penalties as Aberdeen just missed out, Ryan Duncan hitting a post and then Joe Hart also smashing the woodwork before turning hero by saving from Killian Phillips.
MacDonald will be watching Saturday’s semi-final shot – an upside of playing on Friday this week – and has vowed to make his own Hampden return to join the Red Army if the Dons can make it to this season’s showpiece on May 24 where either Celtic or St Johnstone will beckon.
The 32-year-old said: “It was heart-breaking because I definitely believed we deserved to get to the Final. We went toe to toe with Celtic and matched them every step of the way – we should have won.
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“Penalties are a lottery, I know that from our FA Cup tie with Nottingham Forest this season. It was difficult to take but I will always remember that day at Hampden.
“All the hard times I’ve been through and just the dedication I’ve put in over the last 10 years or so, it was almost worth it to score that goal and see the fans.
“It just wasn’t to be in the end but we can all look back on that day with a great deal of pride.”
