One of several factors that deem the tenure of Derek McInnes at Aberdeen as worthy of praise is the ability to dodge banana skins. For years, Aberdeen had been accustomed to being victims of cup shocks; Bohemians, East Fife, Queen of the South and Queen’s Park offer testament to that. Since McInnes took office at Pittodrie in 2013, Aberdeen have formed a useful habit of swatting aside lower league opposition.
So it proved again here, McInnes and his players booking a League Cup final place with a victory over Morton which was fully merited on the balance of play. This was not a particularly memorable encounter in confirming to semi-final stereotype, but Aberdeen were always the more menacing side.
Morton battled to the point where they were never overawed but did not carry sufficient attacking threat to conjure thoughts of an upset. The reward for this club from Scotland’s second tier will be a bumper payday, as meaningfully enhanced by pulled funds from Sunday’s Old Firm game.
Aberdeen had failed to make territorial dominance count during the first half. They forced 11 corners, with two of them within as many minutes of kick-off at least triggering panic in the Morton backline. From the first, Kenny McLean forced Andy McNeil into an excellent save. Jonny Hayes then headed against the bar, with James Maddison again the set-piece architect.
These flurries aside, Morton were perfectly comfortable. They should also have been ahead before half-time as Jai Quitongo eluded the Aberdeen defence when collecting an Andrew Murdoch pass. The striker, who perhaps had too much time in thereby reducing the opportunity for an instinctive finish, fired straight against the legs of the Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis
In the last act of that first period, Adam Rooney clipped the Morton crossbar with a header. Immediately after starting the second, Aberdeen’s Niall McGinn received a rather unfortunate booking for diving. The questionable part related to McGinn not actually claiming for a penalty when dodging the challenge in question. Scottish referees remain a strange breed.
Morton were entitled to cherish this day in the sun. Three decades have passed since they were a force in the Scottish game with, in many respects, the club’s stagnation reflective of a grim economic scene in Greenock. The personal investment of Douglas Rae in recent times meant the club chairman was especially worthy of positive attention.
The sad and completely avoidable element related to the choice of semi-final venue. Those in charge of organising – and, presumably, promoting – Scottish football were guilty of shocking negligence by insisting this tie was played at Hampden Park. A lunchtime kick-off and attendance of 16,183 meant Tynecastle or Easter Road, as used for similar fixtures, would have been the logical host ground. Instead, the picture as beamed across the UK was of 35,000 empty seats.
It was the Aberdeen contingent who were afforded 69th-minute celebration. Andrew Considine headed an Andrew Shinnie cross into the path of Rooney, who had the relatively simple task of converting from three yards. A legitimate Morton complaint would have stemmed from Rooney’s offside position when Considine knocked the ball forward. Even before that Rooney intervention, the first goal had appeared crucial. Shinnie blazed wildly over the bar when afforded a great chance to double the Premiership team’s lead, with Morton clearly affected by the breaching of their containment game plan.
Aberdeen were eventually to claim a second. McGinn’s drive across goal was only parried by McNeil, straight into the path of McLean. The midfielder tapped into an unguarded net. Aberdeen will return to Hampden next month, seeking to claim the League Cup for a second time in three seasons.
