Midfielder Jonny Hayes believes the Hampden hurt of the 3-0 defeat in the Betfred Cup final is driving the Dons on to stop the Celtic juggernaut from claiming a treble.
Hayes’ priority is to secure second place in the Premiership as quickly as possible and they will effectively do it on Sunday if they beat Hearts at Tynecastle.
However, the Irishman, pictured, who has been nominated for PFA Scotland player of the year award, says there is fierce determination to poke Celtic in the eye in the Scottish Cup final on May 27 and claim the trophy for the first time in 27 years.
Hayes said: “We didn’t show up in the League Cup final. It was unfortunate it was Celtic, but the way we played it could have been any other team in the Premiership and we would have lost.
“Normally if we lose a game, some individuals have played well. But that day not one player really came off the pitch with any credit.
“There were a lot of sloppy mistakes. There were a million and one reasons, but it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly went wrong. But we know we are a lot better than we showed that day and it’s up to us to give a better account of ourselves this time and do the best we can. Celtic have been so strong all season, but we can definitely beat them in a one-off game.
“Of course, the manager is adamant it’s on the back-burner until the league is over. Hopefully the players can do well and play their way into the cup team.”
Hayes reckons the Dons have definitely improved this season even though they are 27 points behind champions Celtic.
And he is confident manager Derek McInnes will make them stronger again this summer in preparation for a new challenge.
He said: “We knew how good a team we are and also knew from October onwards we were playing in our own mini-league.
“Celtic were already running away with it and it was difficult to get anywhere near them. The manager likes to bring some youngsters into the team and when the league splits not every game always matters. That’s not the case this year. Our manager has put it across we must finish as strongly as possible with the race for second and if we manage to achieve that it will be a definite improvement.
“The last few years it has only got tougher and our manager has risen to that by signing better players and getting even more out of the players he already has.”
Hayes has been nominated for the PFA Scotland player of the year award along with Celtic’s Moussa Dembele, Scott Sinclair and Stuart Armstrong. The winner will be announced on Sunday.