Aberdeen winger Shayden Morris hopes his Scottish Cup shift has silenced critics who questioned whether he could shine for an entire 90 minutes.
The 23-year-old had gained a reputation as a super-sub this season for his explosive performances off the bench.
Some doubters questioned whether he could deliver that high level of the performance for an entire game when starting.
The winger reckons he proved he can with an impressive shift in the 4-1 Scottish Cup quarter-final win against Queen’s Park.
Morris pitched in with two assists as the Reds booked a slot at the semi-final on the weekend of April 19-20.
Morris said: “I was happy to get the start because I know there were a few questions about whether I could do it.
“Hopefully I’ve shown what I can do as far as that side of things goes and I’m happy with my form overall.
“It’s 11 assists for me now and I’ll take that any day of the week but I’m still hungry for more.
“I still feel that I can provide more for the team in the rest of the season.”
Morris provided assists for both of Palestinian international striker Oday Dabbah’s goals against the Championship Spiders.
Working hard behind the scenes
Aberdeen stormed into the semi-finals courtesy of the Dabbagh brace and goals from Kevin Nisbet and captain Graeme Shinnie.
Morris has been working hard away from training in a bid to become a regular first time starter under boss Jimmy Thelin.
He delivered a compelling argument against Queen’s Park to achieve that status.
Morris said: “I have been doing some work away but I won’t give away my secrets.
“I’ve done a lot off the pitch, like mental stuff to get myself confident and up for every game.
“I’m happy that it’s showing on the pitch and in my stats for the season so far.
“We know what happened last season with me and that was a tough time.
“But after speaking with people that helped me a lot.
“I was able to reset and it’s changed my career and allowed me to be more stable and not let things get to me.”
Aberdeen have secured a fourth successive semi-final slot.
Targeting Hampden redemption
For Morris the return to the national stadium offers Aberdeen a chance of redemption after a horror 6-0 loss to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final in November.
The winger believes the Dons have learned valuable lessons from that Hampden humbling.
And he is also confident Aberdeen are in a stronger position after boss Thelin signed six players during the January transfer window.
He said: “After that heavy defeat in the semi the main focus was to get back to that stage as quick as we could.
“Fortunately we’ve got that chance now and it’s up to us to make the most of it.
“It’s been an up and down season and we were down for a bit but I feel we are coming back to our best.
“We’ve learnt a lot about ourselves, we’ve got new players in who are starting to gel with each other.
“So by the time that semi-final comes around we will be in full confidence going into it.
“Going to Hampden we want to win the semi then win the final… that’s our aim.
“It’s been a bit frustrating at times at Hampden but I feel that it’s a new squad, new manager and new environment.
“There’s a new feeling at the club so we are going there fresh this season to bring something back to the city.”
Ruthlessly negotiated ‘giant killers’
Aberdeen were ruthless against a Queen’s Park side that had sent Rangers tumbling out of the cup with a 1-0 win at Ibrox in the previous round.
Morris said: “To be fair it did start off a bit shaky from us so the first goal was massive.
“Then the second goal coming so quickly allowed us to take a deep breath.
“So it was good to score those so close together as we could relax and play our game then.
“It allowed us to get on a few subs who needed game time in the second half as well so it was a good day.”
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