Aberdeen vice-captain Graeme Shinnie says the Dons are desperate to bounce back from Tuesday’s surprise defeat by Hamilton by making it through to the final four of the Scottish Cup.
The Dons were beaten at New Douglas Park for the second time this season, with Mikey Devlin’s early goal giving Martin Canning’s side victory.
Derek McInnes’ men dominated the match and passed up a series of great opportunities to at least take a point from the match. But Shinnie feels there were enough positives from the Dons’ display to feel upbeat about their chances of overcoming Partick Thistle in Sunday’s quarter-final.
The former Caley Thistle player said: “We were on a great run and wanted to keep the momentum going but we slipped up.
“We need to focus on getting back to winning ways in Sunday’s game.
“The cup is very important and different to the league. Our full focus is on getting through that one and then we will look to get back on the winning trail in the league.
“The match against Hamilton was frustrating. It felt like we battered them the whole night. The response to going behind was good and we kept plugging away and creating opportunities but we just couldn’t get that goal.”
Having lost 3-0 against Celtic in the League Cup final in November, Shinnie would love to set up another match at Hampden with a victory against Alan Archibald’s Jags.
He said: “We were disappointed by how we performed in the cup final. I don’t think we played anywhere near as well as we can.
“It was good to reach the final and always disappointing when you don’t win.
“The appetite and hunger is there from the supporters to the players and everyone else at the club.
“Sunday is a massive game and a good opportunity to get into the semi-finals.”
Shinnie, meanwhile, paid tribute to fellow defender Andrew Considine, who entered Aberdeen’s all-time top-10 appearances list after playing in his 380th match for the club against Hamilton on Tuesday.
Shinnie added: “He is a great lad and a great pro. He has been here for his whole career and supports the club. You can see that with his performances on the pitch. He has been Mr Consistent since I have been here.
“It is a fantastic achievement for him and one that he will be delighted with.
“He is a brilliant professional and, although I am not that much younger than him, he is certainly someone to look up to.”