A 40,000-strong red army will march on Glasgow tomorrow with a good luck message from a Dons legend ringing in their ears.
Gothenburg Great and former Aberdeen skipper Alex McLeish believes now is the time for the Pittodrie club to end a trophy drought which has spanned almost two decades.
The streets of the Granite City will be deserted tomorrow as tens of thousands of fans stage a mass exodus to Celtic Park – and thousands more watch the Scottish League Cup final on TV.
Special cakes have been baked, shops have been decked out in red and white and the Press and Journal’s giant foam fingers have gone down a storm as excitement about the big match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle reaches fever pitch.
Mr McLeish, who had a glittering career with the Dons and also managed Scotland, will be one of those watching the action on television. But he said last night: “My heart will be with the Dons.
“The fans have waited a long time and I feel that this is the moment.”
Aberdeen coaches have long since been booked up and ScotRail has put on two special trains to take hundreds of fans south.
Thousands more will pack bars across the city and Aberdeenshire and more than 200 will watch the match at Aberdeen’s Belmont Cinema.
Gordon Duncan, of Dons Supporters Together, said the mood among the fans was optimistic.
He said: “It’s not going to be an easy match, but the fans are heading down to Celtic Park and hoping that it will be a big party after the game.
“It’s been a long time waiting for it – everyone just can’t wait.”
The cup final “buzz” inspired Jo Gale to craft Dons-themed treats at her cupcake business.
The 24-year-old said the city “felt different” in the run-up to tomorrow’s final. Ms Gale, owner of Cupcakes by Jo, said: “There’s been such a huge buzz this week for the Aberdeen game that it seemed silly not to let everybody enjoy it as well.
“It’s really exciting, it’s just something fun and extra for my cake deliveries.”
Ms Gale said her Dons cupcakes, topped with edible Aberdeen FC logos, had sold by the hundreds this week. Her magnum opus was a giant cake made for a seven-year-old football fanatic’s birthday which took her four hours to bake.
Her mum, Lynn Gale, who run’s Gale’s Guest House in Crown Street, said: “I call Aberdeen 50 shades of grey because it’s grey skies and grey buildings, but the red’s bringing out the best.”
Meanwhile, Justice Street charity shop Bosies created a window display which attracted curious shoppers into the premises.
Volunteer Elizabeth Blair, 61, said: “A lot of people have been stopping and looking.
“We always do a themed window display if there’s something generating attention coming up.”
Bosies, managed by Maggie Lenahan, raises funds for breast cancer patients at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
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