Andrew Considine is proud to have entered Aberdeen’s top-10 all-time appearances list – but reaching a Scottish Cup final remains the major ambition for the Dons defender.
The 29-year-old, who made his debut for the club in 2004, joined Eoin Jess on 380 appearances for the Dons when he played in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by Hamilton at New Douglas Park.
The highlight of his time with the Dons was winning the 2014 League Cup against Caley Thistle at Parkhead but the Scottish Cup has provided nothing but frustration for Considine.
The defender would love to move one step closer to a Hampden final and the club’s first Scottish Cup triumph since 1990 by defeating Partick Thistle in tomorrow’s quarter-final at Pittodrie.
He said: “I’m delighted and very honoured to get into the top 10 all-time appearances for Aberdeen.
“To have my name alongside the likes of Eoin Jess is a privilege, especially as I watched people like him play every week when I was younger.
“Winning the League Cup has been the highlight for me since I started playing in the first-team and I want to add to that.
“I’ve not managed to get to a Scottish Cup final, which is disappointing because I’ve played in a few semis.
“I’ve spoken to Graeme Shinnie about what it’s like as he won it with Caley Thistle and he’s told me how fantastic it is.
“The manager has also spoken about the fact it’s the last game of the season, in the sun at Hampden.
“We’re all desperate to get there and hopefully get our hands on the trophy.
“We have been to a final already this year and we want to get back to Hampden, it’s a huge thing for us.
“Our supporters are dying for us to get into a Scotttish Cup final, the expectation is huge.
“It has been too long, so fingers crossed we can do that.”
While the League Cup success of three years ago is Considine’s most treasured Dons memory, the 4-3 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by lower league Queen of the South remains the most painful.
He said: “I scored twice in that game against Queen of the South but it’s a day everyone wants to forget.
“No disrespect to Queens but we should have done a lot better that day.
“That’s football, they turned up and we didn’t, so they were a lot better than us. It shows what cup football can do, so we have to be on our toes and thankfully our record is good at home this season.
“But Partick will be really tough opponents.
“They are a strong side, they’re in great form, so it’s going to be a very tough game.
“They made it very difficult for us in the last league game we had up here last month when we won 2-0 and it wasn’t until the last couple of minutes we managed to win.
“It will be tough and physical but the boys are looking forward to it.”