ViaPlay Cup semi-final Rangers vs Aberdeen

Cup 

SEMI-FINAL 2022/23 

Sunday 15 January, 2023 | Hampden Park | Kick-off 3.00pm 

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME £5

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Scottish Professional 

Football League 

Hampden Park 

Glasgow | G42 9DE 

www.spfl.co.uk 

@SPFL 

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Rangers Rangers v v 

Aberdeen Aberdeen 

Chief Executive 

Neil Doncaster 

Chairman 

Murdoch MacLennan 

UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT 

The Scottish Professional Football 

League will not tolerate unacceptable 

conduct at Hampden Park or any of the 

stadiums where its matches are played. 

Unacceptable conduct is conduct 

which is violent or disorderly. 

Violent conduct includes any actual, 

attempted or threatened physical 

violence against any person, or 

intentional damage to property. 

Disorderly conduct includes conduct 

which stirs up or sustains, or is likely 

or is designed to stir up or sustain, 

hatred or ill will against or towards 

individuals or groups of people based 

on their membership of presumed 

membership of the following categories: 

• Gender, colour, race, nationality 

or ethnic or national origin 

• Membership, or presumed 

membership, of a religious group 

or of a social or cultural group with 

perceived religious affiliation 

• Sexual orientation 

• Transgender identity 

• Disability 

Or against an individual who is or is 

presumed to be a member of such 

group using threatening, abusive or 

insulting words or conduct; displaying 

writing or any other thing which is 

threatening, abusive or insulting; 

using words or conduct or displaying 

any writing or other thing which 

indicates support for, or affiliation to, 

or celebration of, or opposition to an 

organisation or group proscribed in 

terms of the Terrorism Act 2000. 

Any person engaging in unacceptable 

conduct may be subject to removal 

from the Stadium, report to the police 

and possible criminal proceedings. 

In this issue... 

4 Setting the scene 

40 Semi-final flashbacks 

6 Road to the semis 

44 Previous meetings 

10 Michael Beale 

14 Scott Wright 

18 Jim Goodwin 

22 Jonny Hayes 

26 Season so far 

30 Big Picture 

48 From the Archives 

52 League Cup records 

54 Past programmes 

62 Semi-final bosses 

64 Semi-finals since 1990 

66 Squad lists 

34 In Numbers 

38 Caught in Time 

VIAPLAY CUP SEMI-FINAL 

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RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 


SCENE SETTER 

Celtic and Kilmarnock contested the first of the Viaplay 

Cup semi-finals on Saturday evening – now it’s the turn of 

Aberdeen and Rangers to battle it out for a place in the 

final on Sunday February 26. 

4 

VIAPLAY CUP SEMI-FINAL

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

T 

oday’s match comes just a few weeks 

after a night of incredible drama at 

Pittodrie, when Rangers prevailed 3-2 

thanks to a stoppage-time double from 

substitute Scott Arfield. It’s fair to say the 

passage to the last four has been less stressful for 

both teams than the evening of December 20. 

Finishing in the bottom six last season meant 

Aberdeen were involved in the group stage 

for the first time since the tournament was 

revamped in 2016/17. Jim Goodwin’s men kicked 

off with a 2-0 victory over Peterhead at a sunkissed 

Balmoor and also saw off Dumbarton, 

Stirling Albion and Raith Rovers without 

conceding a goal. They were taken to extra time 

by Annan Athletic in the last 16 at Galabank but 

ultimately progressed 4-1. That was also the 

scoreline in the home quarter-final with Partick 

Thistle when no additional time was required. 

Rangers took care of Queen of the South and 

Dundee at Ibrox to book another trip to the 

National Stadium. They have appeared in 

more League Cup semi-finals than anyone 

else and have won this trophy a record 27 

times but there was disappointment here last 

season when they lost to Hibernian, just before 

Giovanni van Bronckhorst started as manager. 

The Dutchman has since moved on and Michael 

Beale was confirmed as his replacement at 

the end of November. The former QPR boss 

was a key figure in the Ibrox club’s success 

under Steven Gerrard and won his first four 

matches at the helm to claim the December 

Manager of the Month award. January began 

with a 2-2 draw against Celtic and on Sunday 

Rangers defeated Dundee United 2-0 at 

Tannadice. Beale has reported that both John 

Souttar and Ianis Hagi are closing in on a return 

from injury while the Rangers boss expects 

to make new signings in the near future. 

Aberdeen kicked off 2023 with a 0-0 draw 

against Ross County but got back to winning 

ways last weekend when a double from Luis 

‘Duk’ Lopes defeated St Johnstone 2-0 at 

Pittodrie – that left the Dons fourth in the table, 

just three points behind-third placed Hearts. It 

took Duk’s tally for the campaign to 11 goals in 

all competitions, just one behind Bojan Miovski. 

The Dons announced two new signings on 

Thursday January 5 – a familiar face and 

one less so. Former club captain Graeme 

Shinnie, who played in three finals during 

his previous spell in the North East, joined 

on loan from Wigan Athletic. MSK Zilina 

midfielder Patrik Myslovic, capped by Slovakia 

at U21 level, has also signed on loan with a 

view to a permanent move in the summer. 

Aberdeen and Rangers have provided this 

competition with some of its most memorable 

matches down the years, not least three highquality 

finals in a row at the end of the 1980s. 

The Dons last got their hands on the iconic 

silverware in 2014 when Derek McInnes led them 

to victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 

penalties following a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park. 

The last two League Cup semi-finals 

between today’s teams have gone the way 

of the Dons – in 1995/96 a Billy Dodds double 

earned then a 2-1 win and in 2018/19 a Lewis 

Ferguson header was the difference. Rangers’ 

last win over Aberdeen at this stage was in 

1990/91 when Trevor Steven struck to earn 

Graeme Souness’ team a 1-0 triumph. 

Other League Cup heroes in this fixture include 

Jocky Scott – who hit a hat-trick when Aberdeen 

won 5-1 in the last four in 1976/77 – and twogoal 

Paul Mason, who fired Alex Smith & Jocky 

Scott’s side to glory in 1989/90. Ally McCoist’s 

double helped Rangers win a classic final 3-2 in 

1988/89 and Colin Jackson grabbed a last-minute 

winner for the Light Blues in the 1978/79 decider. 

The stage is set for another headline maker in 

what is the 77th season of the League Cup. 

Whatever happens on the south side of Glasgow 

this afternoon, there won’t be much time to 

dwell on the outcome. Rangers head for Rugby 

Park on Wednesday to take on Kilmarnock 

in the cinch Premiership, with Aberdeen at 

Tynecastle to face Heart of Midlothian. 


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RANGERS v 

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RANGERS’ ROAD TO 

THE SEMI-FINALS 

Home wins over Queen of the South and Dundee 

have brought Rangers to the last four… 

TUESDAY AUGUST 30 

VIAPLAY CUP SECOND ROUND 

3-1 

Rangers eased into the quarter-finals 

with a comfortable win over Wullie 

Gibson’s League 1 side at Ibrox. 

It was a completely changed team from 

the one that saw off Ross County 4-0 at 

the weekend but they got the job done 

thanks to a debut goal from Robbie Ure 

and a Scott Arfield double. Teenager Ure 

broke the deadlock after just 10 minutes 

when he fired past Max Currie after 

Fashion Sakala and Glen Kamara had 

created the opening. 

A superb first-time chip from Lee 

Connelly hauled the Doonhamers level 

seven minutes later but Arfield quickly 

restored Rangers’ lead with a cool finish 

after being picked out by Ridvan Yilmaz. 

The midfielder wrapped things up late 

on with a side-footed effort low into the 

net following a Charlie McCann assist. 

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RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19 

VIAPLAY CUP QUARTER-FINAL 

1-0 

The Ibrox side followed up a 2-1 cinch 

Premiership win at Fir Park on the 

Sunday with a narrow victory over 

Gary Bowyer’s Championship team 

despite not being at their best. 

Veteran midfielder Steven Davis nodded 

the only goal past Adam Legzdins after 

just 10 minutes as Rangers started 

brightly. They should have added to 

their lead before half-time but failed to 

put the game to bed. Dundee grew in 

confidence in the second period and 

enjoyed some good passages of play, 

albeit without creating many chances. 

Ultimately, Davis’ early goal proved 

sufficient as Jon McLaughlin kept 

a clean sheet and the Light Blues 

progressed to the last four. 


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RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

ABERDEEN’S ROAD 

TO THE SEMI-FINALS 

The Dons topped their group without conceding a goal 

then knocked out Annan Athletic and Partick Thistle to 

book their place in the semi-finals… 

GROUP STAGE 

Jim Goodwin’s men kicked off 

their campaign with a 2-0 win 

at Peterhead on Sunday July 10 

thanks to a second-half double 

from Christian Ramirez. 

Next up was a 2-0 home victory 

over Dumbarton with goals from 

Ross McCrorie and Matty Kennedy. 

The Dons travelled to Forthbank 

for their third group game and 

thumped Stirling Albion 5-0 in the 

first meeting of the teams for 25 

years. All the goals came in the 

first half - Vicente Besuijen bagged 

a double and Ramirez, Kennedy 

and McCrorie were also on target 

against Darren Young’s team. 

Aberdeen made it four wins from 

four on Sunday July 24, seeing off 

Raith Rovers 3-0 at Pittodrie. Bojan 

Miovski netted an early penalty, 

McCrorie grabbed the second and 

Jonny Hayes rounded things off 

early in the second half. 

8 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

TUESDAY AUGUST 30 

VIAPLAY CUP SECOND ROUND | AET 

1-4 

Aberdeen travelled to Galabank on the 

back of a 5-0 thrashing of Livingston but 

were given a scare by Peter Murphy’s 

side before pulling away in extra time. 

Annan finished ahead of St Johnstone to 

become the first League 2 side to reach the 

last 16 since the current format was introduced 

in 2016/17. Vicente Besuijen forced in the 

opener early in the second half but Annan 

captain Steven Swinglehurst headed past 

keeper Kelle Roos with nine minutes left. 

The visitors went ahead in 97 minutes 

when Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes scored following a 

corner then Besuijen bagged his second 

of the night. Leighton Clarkson claimed 

the fourth goal in the closing minutes. 

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19 

VIAPLAY CUP QUARTER-FINAL 

4-1 

Another 4-1 win but this was much 

more comfortable for the Dons. 

Ian McCall’s side had been going well in the 

Championship but were soundly beaten 

and this was the first of six straight defeats. 

The tie was effectively over by the break, 

by which time Aberdeen were 3-0 ahead. 

Luis Lopes opened the scoring with a 

composed finish in 16 minutes after being 

played in by Hayden Coulson then Kevin Holt 

turned a Coulson shot into his own net. 

The on-loan Middlesbrough defender 

added the third goal from distance with 

the aid of a deflection. Darren Brownlie’s 

header early in the second half reduced 

the deficit but Ryan Duncan scored with a 

superb strike five minutes from the end. 


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RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

MICHAEL BEALE: 

A 

WHIRLWIND 

YEAR 

By Lindsay Herron | Sports Editor, Scottish Daily Express 

They say a week is a long time in football so a year feels 

like an eternity for Michael Beale, who finds himself 

attempting to lead Rangers into a major final a little 

over 12 months after leaving the club on the eve of last 

season’s Viaplay Cup semi-finals. 

10 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 


11

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

teven Gerrard offered 

S 

him the chance to join 

him at Aston Villa, along 

with the rest of the 

Rangers backroom staff, and he 

happily accepted as it was a 

partnership which had proved to 

be a very good one. 

Although Giovanni van Bronckhorst 

had been announced as Ibrox 

manager in the build-up to 

the meeting with Hibernian 

on November 21, 2021, it was B 

team boss David McCallum who 

took the side as the Dutchman 

looked on from the executive 

seats in Hampden’s South Stand. 

Martin Boyle’s hat-trick sent Hibs 

into the final, with Scott Arfield 

netting a consolation goal. 

Some 287 miles south of Mount 

Florida, Beale and Gerrard were 

celebrating at Villa Park as they 

won their first game in charge, 

beating Brighton 2-0 to end the 

club’s five-game losing streak. 

In the interim, van Bronckhorst 

led Rangers to the Europa 

League Cup Final and won the 

Scottish Cup only to be relieved 

of his duties in November. Beale 

left Villa to become his own 

man at Queens Park Rangers 

and made a substantial impact 

in London while Gerrard left 

Villa in October last year. 

Beale still finds it a bit surreal 

that he is back with Rangers 

as the main man but is fiercely 

determined to make sure he is 

a success and winning today’s 

clash with Aberdeen is key. 

He said: “It’s been a whirlwind year. 

My family are settled again, the 

kids are back in school and that’s 

been important. I feel very settled 

at this club. I was welcomed back 

with open arms by everybody 

so it means I made a lot of good 

relationships previously. 

“I’m proud of that but what I 

want to do moving forward is to 

make the people feel proud, and 

winning games like this one go 

a long way to doing that. I don’t 

know if I will ever become used 

to being Rangers manager. It’s a 

great privilege and I know there are 

loads of people around the world 

that would like to be in my shoes 

so I have to do my best every day. 

“I think the fans love a day out at 

Hampden and they would fill the 

place on their own so it’s important 

we give them the big days out 

– just like we want to give them 

the big nights out in Europe. 

“We’ve got our eyes on some 

major things between now and 

the end of the season that would 

mean so much to us in terms 

of legacy and winning games 

like this does create a legacy as 

a Rangers player. It’s important 

we have big performances in 

the game and our potential 

match-winners stand out.” 

Beale naturally feels he has some 

evening up to do in terms of this 

competition, which was not kind 

to he and Gerrard. They lost the 

2018/19 semi-final to Aberdeen 

and then the 2019/20 final to 

Celtic when they had bossed both 

matches and suffered a shock 

3-2 loss in the quarter-finals to 

St Mirren the season after, when 

the path to another final looked 

clear with Celtic also eliminated. 

We’ve played 

them twice 

already this 

season so we 

know them 

well and they 

know us. They’ll 

bring their best 

so we have 

to bring our 

best to make 

sure we’re the 

team going 

to the final 

” 

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RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Four seasons ago, Rangers had 

striking issues with Alfredo Morelos 

suspended and Kyle Lafferty cuptied 

from his time at Kilmarnock 

so Roma loanee Umar Sadiq 

played. He had an off day but has 

since been involved in over £20m 

worth of transfers and currently 

plays for Real Sociedad in La Liga. 

“Umar has gone on to do well since 

that game,” admitted Beale. “You’re 

always pleased to see people do 

well in their careers. It wasn’t his 

day that day and again it was a day 

where we dominated possession 

but you win the game in the boxes 

and set plays are vital to that.” 

The final still grates, too. Alfredo 

Morelos missed a penalty after 

Jeremie Frimpong was sent off 

and if VAR had been around, 

Christopher Jullien’s winner 

would not have counted. 

He said: “I felt it was unjust that we 

lost that game so it’s important 

that we continue to come back 

here and continue to do well. 

We dominated that game and 

missed a penalty after they were 

down to 10 men and it turned 

out that their goal was offside. It 

was a really strong performance 

and we created a lot. It was in 

our hands and we let it slip. 

“I will try to push that to the back 

of my memory. The bottom line 

is that cup semi-finals and finals 

are there to be won. They are not 

necessarily there to play well in. 

We’re playing an Aberdeen team 

that’s made some additions. They 

hadn’t been in the best of form 

but they won well last weekend 

so they will be boosted by that. 

“We’ve played them twice already 

this season so we know them well 

and they know us. They’ll bring 

their best so we have to bring 

our best to make sure we’re the 

team going to the final. If you 

put yourself in the other camp, 

it means the absolute world to 

them. So, unless you are willing 

to give everything you’ve got 

then you can’t expect anything. 

“I remember watching the scenes 

in the Scottish Cup last season 

against Celtic then Hearts. Firstly, 

Fashion Sakala and Calvin Bassey 

celebrating the winner in the semifinal 

and then the great moments 

after winning the final. I want to 

sample that with this group and 

they all want exactly the same.” 

RANGERS’ 

FIXTURES UNTIL 

THE SPLIT 

Wednesday January 18 

cinch Premiership 

Kilmarnock v Rangers 

Saturday January 21 

Scottish Cup fourth round 

St Johnstone v Rangers 



Rangers v St Johnstone 

Wednesday February 1 


Hearts v Rangers 

Saturday February 4 


Rangers v Ross County 


Scottish Cup fifth round 



Livingston v Rangers 



Hibernian v Rangers 

Saturday March 4 


Rangers v Kilmarnock 


Scottish Cup quarter-finals 



Motherwell v Rangers 

Saturday April 1 


Rangers v Dundee United 



Celtic v Rangers 



Rangers v St Mirren 



Aberdeen v Rangers 


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RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SCOTT WRIGHT: 

HUNGRY 

FOR MORE 

By Lindsay Herron | Sports Editor, Scottish Daily Express 

It was 239 days ago that Scott Wright wrote his 

name into Rangers’ folklore with the goal that 

sealed the club’s first Scottish Cup success in 13 

years. Now he has sights firmly set on ending a 

similarly long wait for glory in the Viaplay Cup. 

14 


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ABERDEEN 


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RANGERS v 

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Slamming in the second 

goal against Hearts on 

May 21 last year elevated 

Wright into the company 

of Nacho Novo, Kris Boyd, 

Lorenzo Amoruso and Peter 

Lovenkrands who all achieved 

the same feat in the 2000s. 

It is a moment he will cherish 

forever but, like all footballers, he 

is hungry for more and has an 

added incentive today coming 

up against the team he left 

two years ago this month. 

Wright came on just after the hour 

mark for Manchester United loanee 

Amad Diallo and might have won 

the Scottish Cup before extra time 

when his header came off the top 

of the crossbar in the final stages 

of the 90 minutes, connecting 

with James Tavernier’s cross, 

but his moment was to come. 

It was another ex-Don, Ryan Jack, 

who fired Rangers into the lead 

just four minutes into extra time, 

then three minutes later destiny 

called. Hearts were caught on 

their heels as Ryan Kent raced 

forward and slipped the ball wide 

for Wright, who drove a rightfoot 

shot past Craig Gordon. 

It was fantastic 

for me to score 

the winning 

goal in the 

Scottish Cup 

Final in May 

” 

He said: “It was fantastic for me 

to score the winning goal in the 

Scottish Cup Final in May but more 

importantly it was so important 

for us as a team to bounce back 

after what happened in the Europa 

League Final just three days earlier. 

“We were so low after losing 

in Seville in the circumstances 

that we did, so it was going to 

be difficult to pick ourselves 

up for a difficult game against 

Hearts. But I think it showed 

the mentality and character to 

go and win it, especially in extra 

time. It was a great moment 

for me and my family. 

“It’s what we want to be doing as a 

club. We want to be making regular 

visits to Hampden and fighting 

for silverware so it’s exactly where 

we want to be. We haven’t won 

the League Cup for some time. At 

the start of the season we speak 

about our goals and what we want 

to achieve and being successful 

in every competition we enter.” 

Wright, of course, was part of 

the Aberdeen team that burst 

Steven Gerrard and Michael 

Beale’s bubble in their first 

season at Rangers when Lewis 

16 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Ferguson’s header secured a 

memorable win in the 2018/19 

semis. So he knows what lies in 

store if Rangers do not display 

the right attitude and urgency. 

He recalled: “I had not long come 

back from injury and Derek 

McInnes put his faith in me by 

naming me in the starting line-up. 

It was a big thing for me and I 

had instructions to go and stop 

Ryan Jack getting on the ball as 

well as create for Aberdeen. 

“Steven Gerrard had been in charge 

of Rangers for a few months by 

that point and you could see the 

power that they had started to 

build, so it was a massive result 

for us. We went into the game as 

underdogs although we always 

believed we could get a result. 

It will be the same for Aberdeen 

this time so it’s important for 

us that we approach the game 

right and do our jobs right. 

“I thought I had set up Niall 

McGinn for a chance but his 

shot went wide. Both sides had 

chances and then we won it on 

a set piece which was fantastic 

for us, although unfortunately we 

fell at the final hurdle to Celtic.” 

There have been massive changes 

at Pittodrie since Wright left for 

Ibrox but a well-kent face has 

recently returned and he is looking 

forward to meeting up with him. 

He said: “I actually don’t know 

that many players at Aberdeen 

any more and obviously the 

staff has changed quite a lot 

in the last few years too. It 

really is a different team. 

“Graeme Shinnie has obviously 

gone back and he will be a 

good signing. He was one of 

the captains when I was there 

and he was a good team-mate. 

He really pushes the team on. 

I was quite close with him. We 

lived near each other and we 

sometimes car shared to training. 

“He went down to England just 

before I left and now he’s back 

at Aberdeen. The fans will be 

delighted about that because 

they really loved him. Hopefully 

he can go in there and do a good 

job – but not against us! We 

know what we have to do in this 

match and we’re ready to do it.” 


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18 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

JIM GOODWIN: 

GREAT 

EXPECTATIONS 

By Malcolm Panton | Aberdeen FC Publishing and Media Editor 

Leading your team to a cup semi-final at the first 

attempt, in your first full season in charge, is no mean 

achievement but Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin is well 

aware that down Pittodrie way, expectations remain 

resolutely high, season after season. 


19

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

e said: “There’s no 

H 

question that this is a 

football club where 

supporters expect you to 

be reaching cup semi-finals and 

finals on a regular basis, season 

after season, and to be qualifying 

for European competition on the 

same basis, too. And they’re 

perfectly right in that, because this 

is a very well supported club. We 

get good crowds at Pittodrie, we 

have a terrific away support 

wherever we go, and the football 

club is well run and well resourced. 

“As a manager, you generally come 

into a club at a time when things 

aren’t going well. At the end of 

last season, after having had two 

or three months in the job to take 

stock and see where we were, I 

felt some changes was required 

on and off the park. For example, 

we brought in a new head of 

football and medical science and 

head of performance analysis to 

strengthen the backroom team. 

Then an incredible amount of work 

went on to change the first-team 

squad. Some of the recruitment 

across the summer was excellent 

and a number of the players 

have exceeded expectations.” 

The substantial turnover of 

players at Pittodrie during the 

close season has continued in 

this January window, with former 

Dons skipper Graeme Shinnie and 

young Slovakian midfielder Patrik 

Myslovič having arrived on loan. 

As Goodwin explains, it’s part of a 

strategy that the club is looking 

to employ in the transfer market. 

He said: “We are very clear here 

that we want to be bringing in 

good, young players – either 

ones coming through from our 

academy or others that we sign 

from outside the club – who we 

can give good opportunities to in 

order to help them to develop. In 

addition to that, we want to have 

some experience around them on 

the pitch and in the dressing room, 

which any successful club needs. 

“You can’t just wave a magic wand 

and transform results overnight, 

particularly when you are making 

such a significant change to the 

team and to the squad. The age 

profile of the team, and the squad, 

has changed significantly and that 

was needed. It was very important 

that we did that, but that brings 

its own challenges because we 

have a number of younger players 

who are still really learning the 

game. Beyond that, new players 

need time to settle into the club 

and to settle into the specific 

demands of Scottish football in 

some cases, and that takes time. 

I think we have 

made some 

good progress 

this season and 

the fact that 

we are lining 

up at Hampden 

Park in this 

semi-final is 

some evidence 

of that 

” 

20 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

“There has been the odd game 

where things have gone wrong – 

Kilmarnock and Dundee United 

away from home stand out – but 

when I look across the season 

so far, I think we have brought a 

very good level of performance 

to most games that we have 

played, whatever the result. 

We’ve managed to do that while 

integrating a lot of new players 

into the team, and while trying to 

change the approach on the pitch 

as well. I’m encouraged by that. 

“We’ve scored 35 goals in the 

league in 21 games, which is only 

six fewer than in the whole of last 

season. We’ve also scored 20 goals 

in this competition so far. I think 

we’ve been an entertaining team 

to watch this season, particularly 

at Pittodrie, and I think that in the 

first half of the campaign, we’ve 

put down some good foundations. 

But these are still early days for this 

team and I firmly believe that there 

is a lot more to come from us. 

“One of the things that pleases me 

most is the character in the squad. 

They’re a tight-knit group, they 

work hard, and they are desperate 

to do well as a team. We had a 

tough run after the World Cup in 

terms of results, but I felt that to 

a large extent, the performances 

were there. But for some very 

small margins, the results could 

have been much better. 

“The players were very good at 

shutting out the external noise 

over that period. There was no 

panic, no negativity, they kept 

faith in themselves and in what 

we are doing, and they got their 

rewards for that last Saturday with 

a win over St Johnstone. It was an 

important win and one that we 

needed to get, particularly coming 

into this game against Rangers, 

but it was one that was overdue 

based on the football we’ve played 

since we came back in December. 

“I think we have made some 

good progress this season and 

the fact that we are lining up 

at Hampden Park in this semifinal 

is some evidence of that. 

Semi-finals are a benchmark of 

sorts, but they’re not an end in 

themselves. We’re not going to 

Hampden for a day out – we’re 

going there to do everything we 

can to reach the League Cup final.” 

ABERDEEN’S 

FIXTURES UNTIL 

THE SPLIT 

Wednesday January 18 


Hearts v Aberdeen 

Monday January 23 

Scottish Cup fourth round 

Darvel v Aberdeen 



Hibernian v Aberdeen 

Wednesday February 1 


Aberdeen v St Mirren 



Aberdeen v Motherwell 


Scottish Cup fifth round 



Celtic v Aberdeen 



Aberdeen v Livingston 



Dundee Utd v Aberdeen 


Scottish Cup quarter-finals 



Aberdeen v Hearts 



St Johnstone v Aberdeen 



Aberdeen v Kilmarnock 



Ross County v Aberdeen 



Aberdeen v Rangers 


21

RANGERS v 

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JONNY HAYES: 

WINNING 

MENTALITY 

By Malcolm Panton | Aberdeen FC Publishing and Media Editor 

As we reach the semi-final stage of this season’s 

League Cup, for many players thoughts start to 

turn towards getting their hands on a winner’s 

medal. But for Aberdeen’s Jonny Hayes, a man 

who has more than most, not so much. 

22 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 


23

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

He said: “I’m not one for 

sentimental stuff, so the 

medals themselves aren’t 

really that important to 

me, it’s winning that matters. I’ll 

probably look back in 10, 20 years’ 

time and wish I’d looked after them 

better! When I got the medals, 

they were normally straight 

around my son Jackson’s neck. 

Then when my daughter Charlotte 

got a bit older, she wanted 

them as well. They’re definitely 

in their toy room somewhere! 

“I’ve got four League Cup winner’s 

medals, although in 2017/18 I 

played in all the rounds and then 

I was the 19th man for the final 

against Motherwell – I still got a 

medal though! The first win was 

with Aberdeen in 2014, then I was 

on the bench for Celtic against 

Aberdeen in 2018/19 and played 

against Rangers in 2019/20. 

“The most cherished one is the 

Aberdeen one. I’ve looked after 

that one! We had a couple of 

shirts that day and the medal is 

with one of those. It was quite 

significant to me at the time 

because it was my first cup win.” 

Although the final at Celtic 

Park itself was not a particularly 

enjoyable experience for Jonny 

after he got injured within the first 

10 minutes, the Aberdeen run to 

the final in 2013/14 was memorable 

fare that started with a shoot-out 

win over Alloa Athletic – not that 

Jonny remembers much of it. 

“We could have got knocked out, 

that game was tough. I remember 

defending a set piece for some 

reason - I don’t know how I ended 

up in there, there was no chance 

Derek McInnes would have me 

picking up a centre-half! But I 

ended up in the mix from a deep 

free-kick and I got clattered on 

the head. I woke up later to some 

good news that we’d gone through. 

Unfortunately, the bad news was 

that Mark Reynolds had scored 

the winner, a top-corner penalty, 

and he’s never let me forget it!” 

We came 

through the 

group stage 

which can be 

tricky in itself 

- we’ve seen 

plenty of big 

teams going 

out in previous 

years, but we’ve 

played well in 

the League Cup 

this season 

” 

“Against Falkirk we were excellent, 

Cammy Smith and Nicky Low 

were outstanding that night. The 

quarter-final against Motherwell 

was one of my favourite memories 

in an Aberdeen shirt. It is a 

game that always stands out for 

me. Joe Shaughnessy got sent 

off early on and we punished 

him afterwards by making 

him buy us all a fish supper! 

“Motherwell had a good team, 

they played some really expansive 

football, but we hung in there, 

and Andy Considine scored 

from a set-play late on. Then in 

the last minute, we had a really 

quick breakaway and I scored to 

finish it off. That gave me a lot 

of confidence in myself and the 

team. ‘Oh, we can do that. We’re 

a fit team there’s no reason why 

we can’t do that every week.’ I look 

back on that as one of the fonder 

memories I have in football. 

“The St Johnstone semi-final at 

Tynecastle was another one I will 

always remember. The atmosphere 

was incredible. I was fortunate 

enough to score a couple that 

day, but it was one the best team 

performances I’ve been involved in.” 

24 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

As Hampden beckons today, Hayes 

is one of the elder statesmen in 

the Aberdeen side, not that that 

will prevent the nerves starting to 

jangle as the game approaches. 

“I remember reading years ago 

that if you don’t get nervous, 

then there’s something wrong. 

I still get that feeling and the 

bigger the occasion, obviously 

the more nervous you get. It’s 

probably actually amplified over 

the last few years because you 

get a little bit more pressure, 

there’s more TV cameras, social 

media, which is massive now. 

Not that you worry too much 

about everyone’s opinion, but you 

can’t get away from the fact that 

everyone now has one, valid or not. 

Everything gets amplified. There 

is even more scrutiny from the TV 

cameras, the spotlight is on you 

a little bit more, so that probably 

adds to the occasion as well. 

“I don’t have that mentality that 

a semi-final is good enough 

but I’ve been around Aberdeen 

long enough to know that it’s a 

minimum requirement. We came 

through the group stage which can 

be tricky in itself - we’ve seen plenty 

of big teams going out in previous 

years, but we’ve played well in the 

League Cup this season. We’ll need 

to do that again at Hampden. To 

win cups, you have to beat the 

best teams and Rangers are one 

of the best teams in the country. 

“I’m 35 so this season could be the 

last time I get chance to play at 

Hampden, but it doesn’t change 

my attitude. Ever since my leg 

break, I feel like every game could 

be my last, every training session 

could be my last, so I don’t put too 

much emphasis on it. There will 

be one game where it will be the 

last, hopefully not just yet, and 

obviously you want to go out with 

a win in a cup final and finish on 

a high. I’m not thinking this could 

be my last game at Hampden. I’m 

thinking we’ve got 90 minutes 

to get through to a cup final. 

“I’ve had plenty of chances to 

move down to England but in 

Scotland you’ve got a realistic 

chance of playing in cup finals, 

qualifying for European football. 

For me that’s more satisfying than 

potentially winning promotion 

from the Championship once in 

maybe 10 years, and even then 

the chances are slim. There’s a 

financial aspect in England that 

attracts a lot of people. You can’t 

take money to the grave, but 

memories will live a long time. I’ve 

made plenty of memories in my 

time in Scotland and I still want to 

make some more with Aberdeen.” 


25

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SO FAR 

THIS 

SEASON 

Rangers have won both 

meetings between the 

teams in 2022/23, with 

the next encounter after 

today’s game scheduled for 

Pittodrie on April 22 - the 

final weekend before the 

cinch Premiership split. 

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29, 2022 

Rangers 4-1 Aberdeen 

Rangers came from behind to record a decisive victory 

over an Aberdeen side who had travelled south in good 

form after three straight wins. The Ibrox men had lost in 

Naples in midweek and fell behind midway through the 

first half when midfielder Connor Barron scored his first 

Aberdeen goal. Rangers were quickly level thanks to top 

scorer Antonio Colak and John Lundstram fired them 

ahead in first-half stoppage time. Rangers dominated the 

second half and James Tavernier headed in a Borna Barisic 

cross before the Gers skipper hit the post with a penalty. 

The hosts missed a number of chances before Alfredo 

Morelos had a simple finish for the fourth goal late on. 

TUESDAY DECEMBER 20, 2022 

Aberdeen 2-3 Rangers 

An incredible midweek match under the Pittodrie lights 

saw Rangers snatch the points in stoppage time thanks 

to a double from substitute Scott Arfield. In Michael 

Beale’s second game in charge, the visitors were ahead 

in 12 minutes when Fashion Sakala fired home but Duk 

equalised with a fantastic free-kick just before half-time. 

A superb strike from Liverpool loanee Leighton Clarkson 

in 53 minutes had Jim Goodwin’s men on course for a big 

result until an astonishing conclusion saw Arfield react 

quickly to convert a rebound in the 95th minute before 

bouncing a shot beyond Kelle Roos for the most dramatic 

of late winners. 

26 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 


27

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

RANGERS’ 

RESULTS IN 2022/23 

30/07/22 

LIVINGSTON (A) W 2-1 


02/08/22 

UNION ST GILLOISE (A) L 0-2 

Champions League QR3 

06/08/22 

KILMARNOCK (H) W 2-0 


09/08/22 

UNION ST GILLOISE (H) W 3-0 

AET 

Champions League QR3 

13/08/22 

ST JOHNSTONE (H) W 4-0 


16/08/22 

PSV EINDHOVEN (H) D 2-2 

Champions League play-off 

20/08/22 

HIBERNIAN (A) D 2-2 


24/08/22 

PSV EINDHOVEN (A) W 1-0 

Champions League play-off 

27/08/22 

ROSS COUNTY (H) W 4-0 


30/08/22 

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH (H) W 3-1 

Viaplay Cup Round 2 

03/09/22 

CELTIC (A) L 0-4 


07/09/22 

AJAX (A) L 0-4 

Champions League Group A 

14/09/22 

NAPOLI (H) L 0-3 


17/09/22 

DUNDEE UNITED (H) W 2-1 


01/10/22 

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN (A) W 4-0 


04/10/22 

LIVERPOOL (A) L 0-2 


08/10/22 

ST MIRREN (H) W 4-0 


12/10/22 

LIVERPOOL (H) L 1-7 


16/10/22 

MOTHERWELL (A) W 2-1 


19/10/22 

DUNDEE (H) W 1-0 

Viaplay Cup quarter-final 

22/10/22 

LIVINGSTON (H) D 1-1 


26/10/22 

NAPOLI (A) L 0-3 


29/10/22 

ABERDEEN (H) W 4-1 


01/11/22 

AJAX (H) L 1-3 


06/11/22 

ST JOHNSTONE (A) L 1-2 


09/11/22 

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN (H) W 1-0 


12/11/22 

ST MIRREN (A) D 1-1 


15/12/22 

HIBERNIAN (H) W 3-2 


20/12/22 

ABERDEEN (A) W 3-2 


23/12/22 

ROSS COUNTY (A) W 1-0 


28/12/22 

MOTHERWELL (H) W 3-0 


02/01/23 

CELTIC (H) D 2-2 


08/01/23 

DUNDEE UNITED (A) W 2-0 


28 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

ABERDEEN’S 

RESULTS IN 2022/23 

10/07/22 

PETERHEAD (A) W 2-0 

Viaplay Cup Group A 

13/07/22 

DUMBARTON (H) W 2-0 


19/07/22 

STIRLING ALBION (A) W 5-0 


24/07/22 

RAITH ROVERS (H) W 3-0 


31/07/22 

CELTIC (A) L 0-2 


06/08/22 

ST MIRREN (H) W 4-1 


13/08/22 

MOTHERWELL (H) L 2-3 


20/08/22 

ST JOHNSTONE (A) W 1-0 


27/08/22 

LIVINGSTON (H) W 5-0 


30/08/22 

ANNAN ATHLETIC (A) W 4-1 AET 

Viaplay Cup Round 2 

03/09/22 

ROSS COUNTY (A) D 1-1 


17/09/22 

HIBERNIAN (A) L 1-3 


01/10/22 

KILMARNOCK (H) W 4-1 


08/10/22 

DUNDEE UNITED (A) L 0-4 


16/10/22 

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN (H) W 2-0 


19/10/22 

PARTICK THISTLE (H) W 4-1 

Viaplay Cup quarter-final 

22/10/22 

MOTHERWELL (A) W 2-1 


29/10/22 

RANGERS (A) L 1-4 


04/11/22 

HIBERNIAN (H) W 4-1 


08/11/22 

LIVINGSTON (A) L 1-2 


12/11/22 

DUNDEE UNITED (H) W 1-0 


17/12/22 

CELTIC (H) L 0-1 


20/12/22 

RANGERS (H) L 2-3 


24/12/22 

ST MIRREN (A) L 1-3 


28/12/22 

KILMARNOCK (A) L 1-2 


02/01/23 

ROSS COUNTY (H) D 0-0 


07/01/23 

ST JOHNSTONE (H) W 2-0 



29

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

30 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Sunday March 20, 2011 | League Cup final 

Rangers 2-1 Celtic 

Rangers have lifted the League Cup a 

record 27 times but their most recent 

success was 12 years ago during Walter 

Smith’s last season as manager. 

The Ibrox club had beaten St Mirren 1-0 

in the previous year’s final despite going 

down to nine men. They retained the 

silverware with an extra time win over 

Celtic, who they also pipped to the SPL 

title on the last day of the season after 

thrashing Kilmarnock 5-1 at Rugby Park. 

Steven Davis gave Rangers the lead in 

this League Cup final but Joe Ledley 

equalised before half-time. The winner 

came eight minutes into extra time 

when Nikica Jelavic’s shot beat Fraser 

Forster, hit the post and spun over 

the line to earn the Light Blues a 

dramatic and memorable victory. 


31

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

32 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Sunday March 16, 2014 | League Cup final 

Aberdeen 0 

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0 

(AET, Aberdeen won 4-2 on penalties) 

Aberdeen have won this trophy six times and this was their most 

recent triumph. A vast Red Army made up the bulk of the 51,143 

crowd at Celtic Park, which hosted the final as Hampden was 

undergoing renovations ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. 

This was a tight, tense encounter of few real chances but the Dons 

ultimately claimed their first trophy since the 1995 League Cup by 

prevailing in a nerve-shredding penalty shoot-out. Adam Rooney 

coolly converted the decisive spot-kick, with Barry Robson, Nicky 

Low and Scott Vernon also successful for Derek McInnes’ side. 

Jamie Langfield saved from Billy Mckay and Greg Tansey sent his 

effort over the bar as Caley Thistle lost out. 


33

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Rangers have won this competition a record 27 times, most recently 

in 2010/11 when they beat Celtic 2-1 after extra time. The Ibrox club were 

the first winners of the League Cup – they defeated Aberdeen 4-0 in the 

inaugural final in 1946/47. 

RANGERS 

IN NUMBERS 

9 Rangers 

Ally McCoist was a League Cup 

winner an incredible nine times 

during his playing days with 

Rangers – his first win was in 

1983/84 when he scored a hat-trick 

in the 3-2 defeat of Celtic. 

13 

are unbeaten in their 

last 13 matches against Aberdeen 

since losing 2-0 in a Scottish Cup 

quarter-final replay at Ibrox in 

March 2019. They have won the last 

three meetings following a 1-1 draw 

between the teams at Pittodrie 

almost exactly a year ago. 

34 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

55 

Rangers are appearing 

in their 55th League 

Cup semi-final this 

afternoon. They 

have reached the 

final on 35 previous 

occasions but lost 3-1 

to Hibernian at this 

stage last season. 

Summer signing Antonio Colak is Rangers’ 

leading scorer this season with 14 goals in all 

competitions. The former PAOK striker, who 

missed a number of games through injury, has 

netted 11 times in the cinch Premiership and 

scored three goals in Europe. 

Legendary Rangers manager 

Walter Smith guided the 

Ibrox club to League Cup 

glory six times. The first of 

those was a 2-1 extra time 

win against Aberdeen in 

the 1992/93 final – a season 

in which Rangers would go 

on to complete the Treble. 

10 

Rangers’ League Cup semifinal 

against Kilmarnock 

in 1965/66 produced a 

remarkable 10 goals, with 

the Ibrox club running out 

6-4 winners against the 

reigning league champions. 

There were hat-tricks for 

George McLean of Rangers 

and Tommy McLean of 

Kilmarnock. 


35

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Rangers have won this competition a record 27 times, most recently 

in 2010/11 when they beat Celtic 2-1 after extra time. The Ibrox club were 

the first winners of the League Cup – they defeated Aberdeen 4-0 in the 

inaugural final in 1946/47. 

RANGERS 

IN NUMBERS 

9 Rangers 

Ally McCoist was a League Cup 

winner an incredible nine times 

during his playing days with 

Rangers – his first win was in 

1983/84 when he scored a hat-trick 

in the 3-2 defeat of Celtic. 

13 

are unbeaten in their 

last 13 matches against Aberdeen 

since losing 2-0 in a Scottish Cup 

quarter-final replay at Ibrox in 

March 2019. They have won the last 

three meetings following a 1-1 draw 

between the teams at Pittodrie 

almost exactly a year ago. 

34 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

55 

Rangers are appearing 

in their 55th League 

Cup semi-final this 

afternoon. They 

have reached the 

final on 35 previous 

occasions but lost 3-1 

to Hibernian at this 

stage last season. 

Summer signing Antonio Colak is Rangers’ 

leading scorer this season with 14 goals in all 

competitions. The former PAOK striker, who 

missed a number of games through injury, has 

netted 11 times in the cinch Premiership and 

scored three goals in Europe. 

Legendary Rangers manager 

Walter Smith guided the 

Ibrox club to League Cup 

glory six times. The first of 

those was a 2-1 extra time 

win against Aberdeen in 

the 1992/93 final – a season 

in which Rangers would go 

on to complete the Treble. 

10 

Rangers’ League Cup semifinal 

against Kilmarnock 

in 1965/66 produced a 

remarkable 10 goals, with 

the Ibrox club running out 

6-4 winners against the 

reigning league champions. 

There were hat-tricks for 

George McLean of Rangers 

and Tommy McLean of 

Kilmarnock. 


35

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

ABERDEEN 

IN NUMBERS 

Aberdeen have won the League Cup six times and have been runners-up 

on nine occasions. Their first success was 2-1 against St Mirren in 1955/56. 

They beat Celtic 2-1 in 1976/77, Hibernian 3-0 in 1985/86, Rangers 2-1 in 

1989/90, Dundee 2-0 in 1995/96 and Inverness CT on penalties in 2013/14. 

4 

Today 

Aberdeen’s last win over Rangers 

came almost four years ago - 

when they won 2-0 in a Scottish 

Cup quarter-final replay at Ibrox 

on Tuesday March 12, 2019. Niall 

McGinn scored early on and Connor 

McLennan added the second goal 

in 62 minutes. The first match at 

Pittodrie had ended 1-1. 

27 

is Aberdeen’s 27th semi-final 

appearance in this competition. 

Only Celtic and Rangers have 

featured in more and the Dons 

are well clear of Hibernian, who 

are fourth on the list with 22 

appearances. When they last won 

the trophy in 2014, Aberdeen beat 

St Johnstone 4-0 at Tynecastle at 

this stage. 

36 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

In Alex Ferguson’s last full season as 

Aberdeen manager in 1985/86, he 

led the club to a cup double. Hibs 

were beaten 3-0 in the League Cup 

final and Hearts were seen off by 

the same score in the Scottish Cup 

final. The Dons repeated the feat 

under Alex Smith and Jocky Scott 

in 1989/90, with Rangers (League 

Cup) and Celtic (Scottish Cup) 

beaten in the finals. 

Between 1985 and 1989, Aberdeen 

reached the League Cup semifinals 

four times and won them all 

without conceding a goal. They 

beat Dundee United 1-0 home and 

away in 1985 when the format was 

two legs. The Dons beat Dundee 

2-0 in 1987 and Dundee United 

2-0 in 1988 before a 1-0 victory over Celtic in 1989. The 

odd year out was 1986 when they lost to Celtic on 

penalties in the quarter-finals. 

Vicente Besuijen is Aberdeen’s 

leading scorer in this season’s 

Viaplay Cup, with four goals. In 

the cinch Premiership it’s Bojan 

Miovski who tops the AFC scoring 

charts, with 11 league goals. 


37

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

38 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

CAUGHT IN TIME 

Sunday October 25, 1987 

Hampden Park 

League Cup final 


Rangers 3 

(AET, Rangers won 5-3 on penalties) 

The calm before the storm. 

Aberdeen and Rangers 

line up before the 1987/88 

League Cup final in front 

of 71,961 fans at Hampden. 

The two teams would serve 

up a classic match, which 

Graeme Souness’ side 

eventually won on penalties 

after a thrilling 3-3 draw. 

Jim Bett’s early penalty 

was cancelled out by Davie 

Cooper’s stunning freekick 

and the Light Blues 

were ahead by half-time 

thanks to an Ian Durrant 

goal. Ian Porterfield’s men 

equalised through John 

Hewitt after 72 minutes 

and were in sight of the 

silverware when Willie 

Falconer put them ahead, 

only for Robert Fleck to grab 

a late leveller. Extra time 

failed to produce a winner 

and Durrant converted the 

decisive kick in the shootout 

after Peter Nicholas 

had missed for Aberdeen. 


39

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SEMI-FINAL 

FLASHBACK 

SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER, 2019 | CROWD: 49,310 

Rangers 3-0 Hearts 

Rangers’ most recent League Cup 

semi-final victory was against 

Heart of Midlothian in 2019/20 and 

it was an impressive performance 

from Steven Gerrard’s team 

against the capital club. 

Rangers cruised into the final 

to end a run of three semi-final 

defeats in this competition. It was a 

stylish display from the Light Blues, 

who had scored four goals at Ross 

County in midweek and claimed 

another three here. Hearts hadn’t 

beaten the Ibrox side in the League 

Cup since 1965 and rarely looked 

capable of causing an upset. 

Austin MacPhee was in charge 

of the Tynecastle club following 

the departure of Craig Levein 

three days earlier and they held 

out until first-half stoppage time 

when Alfredo Morelos picked 

out defender Filip Helander to 

steer home the opener. It was all 

over just after the interval when 

Morelos pounced from close range 

following a James Tavernier assist. 

The Colombian striker bagged 

his 20th goal of the season in 62 

minutes, netting from six yards 

after Ryan Kent’s run had created 

the opening. 

RANGERS 

LINE-UP 

Allan McGregor 

James Tavernier 

Filip Helander 

Connor Goldson 

Borna Barisic 

Ryan Jack 

(Scott Arfield 77) 

Steven Davis 

Glen Kamara 

Sheyi Ojo 

(Jermain Defoe 82) 

Ryan Kent 

(Joe Aribo 66) 

Alfredo Morelos 

40 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SEMI-FINAL 

FLASHBACK 


41

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SEMI-FINAL 

FLASHBACK 

SEMI-FINAL 

FLASHBACK 

42 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER, 2018 | CROWD: 46,186 

Aberdeen 1-0 Rangers 

Aberdeen’s most recent 

appearance at this stage of 

the competition was in season 

2018/19, when they beat Rangers 

1-0 before losing by the same 

score to Celtic in the final. 

Aberdeen made it through to the 

League Cup final for the 15th time 

in their history and their third 

under Derek McInnes. Holders 

Celtic had seen off Hearts in the 

other semi-final at Murrayfield 

earlier in the day and Aberdeen 

joined them with a memorable win. 

Niall McGinn had a free-kick 

pushed away by Allan McGregor 

then the Northern Ireland 

internationalist couldn’t hit the 

target from a good position. 

At the other end, Umar Sadiq 

wasn’t far away with a header 

and Lassana Coulibaly passed 

up a clear chance but defences 

largely were on top. Extra time 

looked likely until Ferguson 

met McGinn’s corner and sent a 

header up and over McGregor to 

spark wild celebrations among 

the 10,000 travelling fans. 

This was the second of seven 

meetings between the teams 

in 2018/19 and Aberdeen 

also came out on top in the 

Scottish Cup, winning 2-0 in a 

quarter-final replay at Ibrox. 

ABERDEEN 

LINE-UP 

Joe Lewis 

Shay Logan 

Michael Devlin 

Andrew Considine 

(Max Lowe 36) 

Scott McKenna 

Graeme Shinnie 

Lewis Ferguson 

James Wilson 

(Dominic Ball 86) 

Niall McGinn 

Gary Mackay-Steven 

Scott Wright 

(Stevie May 60) 


43

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Previous League 

Cup meetings 

Aberdeen and Rangers have a rich history in 

this competition. They contested the first ever 

final back in 1946/47 and are meeting today for 

the 40th time in the League Cup. 

There have been some epic 

contests down the years, 

including three thrilling 

finals in a row at the end of 

the 1980s. The Ibrox club hold 

the upper hand overall but the 

Pittodrie side have come out on 

top in four of the six previous 

semi-finals, including a stunning 

5-1 success in 1976/77 and the most 

recent encounter in October 2018. 

1987/88 

1978/79 

44 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

1946/47 

Final 

RANGERS 4-0 ABERDEEN 

1949/50 

Group stage 


ABERDEEN 1-1 RANGERS 

1950/51 

1988/89 

Group stage 



1951/52 

Group stage 



1952/53 

Group stage 



1955/56 

Semi-final 


1956/57 

Group stage 



1964/65 

Group stage 



1965/66 

Group stage 



1989/90 


45

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

1966/67 




1967/68 

Group stage 



1976/77 



1977/78 

Third round 



1990/91 

1999/00 

1978/79 

Final 


1979/80 

Third round 



1980/81 

Third round 



1987/88 

Final 


(AET, Rangers won 5-3 on penalties) 

1988/89 

Final 


1989/90 

Final 


(AET) 

1990/91 



46 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

2004/05 

1992/93 

Final 


(AET) 

1993/94 

Quarter-final 


(AET) 

1995/96 



1999/00 

Quarter-final 


(AET) 

2000/01 

Third round 


2004/05 

Third round 


2018/19 



2018/19 


47

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

n 1960/61 Rangers Squad 

r 1961-62 Rangers Squad 

48 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

FROM THE 

ARCHIVES 

1960/61 

LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 

Wednesday October 19, 1960 


Queen of 

the South 0 

Rangers won the League Cup 

for the third time in their history 

in season 1960/61, beating 

Kilmarnock 2-0 in the final 

at Hampden. They put seven 

goals past Second Division 

opponents Queen of the South 

in the semi-final at Celtic Park. 

The Light Blues were 5-0 up at halftime 

thanks to doubles from Ralph 

Brand and Jimmy Millar and an Ian 

McMillan goal. Brand completed his 

hat-trick on the hour mark and Alex 

Scott rounded things off for Scot 

Symon’s side, who also went on 

to take the league title - finishing 

a point ahead of Kilmarnock. 

n 

Ralph Brand 

j 

Jimmy Millar 


49

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

50 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

FROM THE 

ARCHIVES 

1979/80 

LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 

Saturday December 1, 1979 


Morton 1 

Aberdeen had knocked out Celtic 

and Rangers en route to the last 

four and came up against their 

bogey team in front of 11,896 fans 

at Hampden. The Greenock club 

were Premier Division leaders at 

the time and won three of the 

four league meetings between 

the teams that season. 

The Dons prevailed in this one 

thanks to first-half goals from 

Mark McGhee and Gordon 

Strachan (penalty) but they 

were made to sweat in the 

second half. Neil Orr had a goal 

disallowed and Andy Ritchie 

pulled one back from the spot. 

The final was just a week later 

and ended in a 0-0 draw with 

Dundee United at Hampden but 

Jim McLean’s men won the Dens 

Park replay 3-0. That was a blow 

for the Dons but they would go on 

to pip Celtic for the league title as 

Alex Ferguson won the first of his 

three Premier Division crowns. 


51

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

RANGERS & ABERDEEN 

LEAGUE CUP STATISTICS 

RANGERS’ LEAGUE CUP RECORD SINCE 1990/91 

1990/91 

WINNERS 

1998/99 

WINNERS 

2006/07 

Quarter-finals 

2014/15 

Semi-finals 

1991/92 


1999/00 


2007/08 

WINNERS 

2015/16 

Third round 

1992/93 

WINNERS 

2000/01 


2008/09 

Runners-up 

2016/17 


1993/94 

WINNERS 

2001/02 

WINNERS 

2009/10 

WINNERS 

2017/18 


1994/95 

Third round 

2002/03 

WINNERS 

2010/11 

WINNERS 

2018/19 


1995/96 


2003/04 


2011/12 

Third round 

2019/20 

Runners-up 

1996/97 

WINNERS 

2004/05 

WINNERS 

2012/13 


2020/21 


1997/98 


2005/06 


2013/14 

First round 

2021/22 


ABERDEEN’S LEAGUE CUP RECORD SINCE 1990/91 

1990/91 


1998/99 

Third round 

2006/07 

Second round 

2014/15 


1991/92 

Third round 

1999/00 

Runners-up 

2007/08 


2015/16 

Third round 

1992/93 

Runners-up 

2000/01 

Third round 

2008/09 

Third round 

2016/17 

Runners-up 

1993/94 


2001/02 

Third round 

2009/10 

Third round 

2017/18 


1994/95 


2002/03 


2010/11 


2018/19 

Runners-up 

1995/96 

WINNERS 

2003/04 


2011/12 

Third round 

2019/20 


1996/97 


2004/05 

Third round 

2012/13 


2020/21 

Second round 

1997/98 


2005/06 


2013/14 

WINNERS 

2021/22 

Second round 

52 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

The Rangers team celebrate their win over 

Hibernian in the 1993 League Cup Final 


The Aberdeen players celebrate their win over 

Dundee in the 1995 League Cup Final 



2023/24 

Dates were recently 

confirmed for next 

season’s Viaplay Cup, 

which will begin 

in mid-July and 

conclude here at 

Hampden Park on 

Sunday December 17. 

GROUP STAGE 

MD1: Weekend of 

July 15/16, 2023 

MD2: Midweek of 

July 18/19, 2023 


July 22/23, 2023 

MD4: Midweek of 

July 25/26, 2023 


July 29/30, 2023 

SECOND ROUND 

Weekend of August 

19/20, 2023 

QUARTER-FINALS 

Midweek of 

September 26-28, 2023 

SEMI-FINALS 

Weekend of 

November 4/5, 2023 

FINAL 

Sunday December 

17, 2023 


53

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

PAST 

PROGRAMMES 

Programme covers from some 

of Rangers’ previous League Cup 

semi-final victories... 

54 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 


55

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

PAST 

PROGRAMMES 

Programme covers from 

some of Aberdeen’s 

previous League Cup 

semi-final victories... 

56 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 


57

Extraordinary 

stories from across 

Scottish football 

communities 

Listen to the SPFL Trust Football Powered Podcast. 

Available on all major platforms 

spfltrust.org.uk/trophy

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SATURDAY 

JANUARY 7, 2023 


St Johnstone 0 

Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes 

scored a double as 

the Dons overcame 

Callum Davidson’s 

men at Pittodrie. The 

former Benfica B 

striker grabbed the 

opening goal with 

16 minutes left then 

headed in his 11th 

goal of the season 

from a corner 10 

minutes later to seal 

a welcome victory for 

Jim Goodwin’s side. 

LAST WEEKEND 

Aberdeen and Rangers both go into today’s game on the back 

of important wins in the cinch Premiership last weekend… 

SUNDAY 

JANUARY 8, 2023 

Dundee Utd 0 


Two goals in the 

space of three 

minutes early in 

the second half saw 

Michael Beale’s men 

come out on top at 

Tannadice to close 

the gap on leaders 

Celtic to nine points. 

Fashion Sakala fired 

in a superb opening 

goal in 54 minutes 

and Malik Tillman 

put the game 

beyond Liam Fox’s 

side soon after. 


59

PUTTING 

THE SPARK 

INTO MATCHDAY 

PROGRAMMES... 

PROUD PROGRAMME 

PARTNERS OF THE 

SCOTTISH 

PROFESSIONAL 

FOOTBALL 

LEAGUE 

www.ignitionsportsmedia.com

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

FACTS + 

FIGURES 

WINNERS 

27 

RANGERS 

20 

CELTIC 

6 

ABERDEEN 

4 

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 

3 

DUNDEE 

EAST FIFE 

HIBERNIAN 

2 

DUNDEE UNITED 

1 

KILMARNOCK 

LIVINGSTON 

MOTHERWELL 

PARTICK THISTLE 

RAITH ROVERS 

ROSS COUNTY 

ST JOHNSTONE 

ST MIRREN 


RUNNERS- 

UP 

15 

CELTIC 

9 

ABERDEEN 

8 

HIBERNIAN 

RANGERS 

5 

DUNDEE UNITED 

KILMARNOCK 

3 

DUNDEE 

DUNFERMLINE 

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 

MOTHERWELL 


2 

ST JOHNSTONE 

ST MIRREN 

1 

AYR UNITED 

FALKIRK 

INVERNESS CT 

LIVINGSTON 

MORTON 

RAITH ROVERS 

THIRD LANARK 

SEMI-FINAL APPEARANCES 

55 

RANGERS 

46 

CELTIC 

27 

ABERDEEN 

22 

HIBERNIAN 

21 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

19 

DUNDEE UNITED 

12 

DUNDEE 

ST JOHNSTONE 

11 

MOTHERWELL 

KILMARNOCK 

7 

AIRDRIEONIANS 

ST MIRREN 

6 

DUNFERMLINE 

FALKIRK 

5 

AYR UNITED 

MORTON 


4 

EAST FIFE 

The first ever League Cup 

semi-finals took place in March 

1947. Aberdeen thrashed Heart 

of Midlothian 6-2 at Easter 

Road and Rangers ran out 3-1 

winners against Hibernian at 

Hampden Park before going 

on to defeat the Dons 4-0 in 

the final. 

The highest-scoring League 

Cup semi-final came in 

the 1959/60 competition 

when Heart of Midlothian 

hammered Cowdenbeath 9-3 

at Easter Road. Ian Crawford 

scored four of the goals for 

Tommy Walker’s side, who 

beat Third Lanark in the final. 

There has not been a goalless 

draw in a League Cup semifinal 

since season 2008/09 

when Celtic and Dundee 

United met at Hampden. It 

was 0-0 after 120 minutes, then 

Celtic won a marathon penalty 

shoot-out 11-10 to reach the 

final, where they beat Rangers. 

3 

CLYDE 

HAMILTON ACCIES 

LIVINGSTON 

2 

COWDENBEATH 

INVERNESS CT 

QUEEN OF SOUTH 

RAITH ROVERS 

1 

ARBROATH 

BERWICK RANGERS 

BRECHIN CITY 

DUMBARTON 

FORFAR ATHLETIC 

MEADOWBANK 

MONTROSE 

ROSS COUNTY 

STIRLING ALBION 

THIRD LANARK 

2022/23 

VIAPLAY 

CUP TOP 

SCORERS 

4 

JONAH AYUNGA n 

St Mirren 

VICENTE BESUIJEN 

Aberdeen 

ALEX JAKUBIAK 

Dundee 

CONOR SAMMON 

Alloa Athletic 

OLI SHAW 

Kilmarnock 


61

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

THE MEN 

IN CHARGE 

League Cup semi-final 

managers of the past 30 years 

1990/91 

ABERDEEN 

Alex Smith & 

Jocky Scott 

CELTIC 

Billy McNeill 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Jim McLean 

RANGERS 

Graeme Souness 

1991/92 

AIRDRIEONIANS 

Alex MacDonald 

DUNFERMLINE 

ATHLETIC 

Jocky Scott 

HIBERNIAN 

Alex Miller 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

1992/93 

ABERDEEN 

Willie Miller n 

CELTIC 

Liam Brady 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Alex Totten 

1993/94 

CELTIC 

Liam Brady 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Ivan Golac 

HIBERNIAN 

Alex Miller 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

1994/95 

ABERDEEN 

Willie Miller 

AIRDRIEONIANS 


CELTIC 

Tommy Burns 

RAITH ROVERS 

Jimmy Nicholl 

1995/96 

ABERDEEN 

Roy Aitken 

AIRDRIEONIANS 


DUNDEE 

Jim Duffy 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

1996/97 

DUNDEE 

Jim Duffy 

DUNFERMLINE 

ATHLETIC 

Bert Paton 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Jim Jefferies 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

1997/98 

ABERDEEN 

Roy Aitken 

CELTIC 

Wim Jansen 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Tommy McLean 

DUNFERMLINE 

ATHLETIC 

Bert Paton 

1998/99 

AIRDRIEONIANS 


HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Jim Jefferies 

RANGERS 

Dick Advocaat 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Sandy Clark 

1999/00 

ABERDEEN 

Ebbe Skovdahl 

CELTIC 

Kenny Dalglish 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Paul Sturrock 

KILMARNOCK 

Bobby Williamson 

2000/01 

CELTIC 

Martin O’Neill 

KILMARNOCK 

Bobby Williamson n 

RANGERS 

Dick Advocaat 

ST MIRREN 

Tom Hendrie 

2001/02 

AYR UNITED 

Gordon Dalziel 

CELTIC 


HIBERNIAN 

Franck Sauzee 

RANGERS 

Alex McLeish 

2002/03 

CELTIC 


DUNDEE UNITED 

Ian McCall 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Craig Levein 

RANGERS 

Alex McLeish 

2003/04 

DUNDEE 

Jim Duffy 

HIBERNIAN 

Bobby Williamson 

LIVINGSTON 

Davie Hay 

RANGERS 

Alex McLeish 

2004/05 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Ian McCall 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

John Robertson 

MOTHERWELL 

Terry Butcher 

RANGERS 

Alex McLeish 

2005/06 

CELTIC 

Gordon Strachan 

DUNFERMLINE 

ATHLETIC 

Jim Leishman 

LIVINGSTON 

Paul Lambert 

MOTHERWELL 

Terry Butcher 

62 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

2006/07 

FALKIRK 

John Hughes 

2014/15 

ABERDEEN 

Derek McInnes 

2018/19 

ABERDEEN 

Derek McInnes 

HIBERNIAN 

John Collins 

CELTIC 

Ronny Deila 

CELTIC 

Brendan Rodgers 

KILMARNOCK 

Jim Jefferies 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Owen Coyle 

2007/08 

ABERDEEN 

Jimmy Calderwood 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Craig Levein 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Stevie Frail 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

2008/09 

CELTIC 

Neil Lennon 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Craig Levein 

FALKIRK 

John Hughes 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

2009/10 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Jim Jefferies 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Derek McInnes r 

ST MIRREN 

Gus MacPherson 

2010/11 

ABERDEEN 

Craig Brown 

CELTIC 

Neil Lennon 

MOTHERWELL 

Stuart McCall 

RANGERS 

Walter Smith n 

2011/12 

AYR UNITED 

Brian Reid 

CELTIC 

Neil Lennon 

FALKIRK 

Steven Pressley 

KILMARNOCK 

Kenny Shiels 

2012/13 

CELTIC 

Neil Lennon 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

John McGlynn 

INVERNESS CT 

Terry Butcher 

ST MIRREN 

Danny Lennon 

2013/14 

ABERDEEN 

Derek McInnes 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Gary Locke 

INVERNESS CT 

John Hughes 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Tommy Wright 

DUNDEE UNITED 

Jackie McNamara 

RANGERS 

Kenny McDowall 

2015/16 

CELTIC 

Ronny Deila 

HIBERNIAN 

Alan Stubbs 

ROSS COUNTY 

Jim McIntyre 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Tommy Wright 

2016/17 

ABERDEEN 

Derek McInnes 

CELTIC 

Brendan Rodgers n 

MORTON 

Jim Duffy 

RANGERS 

Mark Warburton 

2017/18 

CELTIC 

Brendan Rodgers 

HIBERNIAN 

Neil Lennon 

MOTHERWELL 

Stephen Robinson 

RANGERS 

Pedro Caixinha 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Craig Levein 

RANGERS 

Steven Gerrard 

2019/20 

CELTIC 

Neil Lennon 

HEART OF 

MIDLOTHIAN 

Austin MacPhee 

HIBERNIAN 

Paul Heckingbottom 

RANGERS 

Steven Gerrard 

2020/21 

HIBERNIAN 

Jack Ross 

LIVINGSTON 

David Martindale 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Callum Davidson 

ST MIRREN 

Jim Goodwin 

2021/22 

CELTIC 

Ange Postecoglou 

HIBERNIAN 

Jack Ross 

RANGERS 

David McCallum 

ST JOHNSTONE 

Callum Davidson 


63

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

SEMI-FINAL 

RESULTS 

SINCE 1990 

1990/91 

CELTIC 2-0 DUNDEE UNITED 

Hampden Park – 49,975 



1991/92 

DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC 1 

AIRDRIEONIANS 1 (AET) 

(Dunfermline won 3-2 on penalties) 

Tynecastle – 10,662 

HIBERNIAN 1-0 RANGERS 


1992/93 

RANGERS 3 

ST JOHNSTONE 1 


ABERDEEN 1-0 CELTIC 


1993/94 

HIBERNIAN 1 

DUNDEE UNITED 0 


RANGERS 1-0 CELTIC 

Ibrox Stadium – 47,420 

1994/95 

RAITH ROVERS 1 

AIRDRIEONIANS 1 (AET) 

(Raith Rovers won 5-4 on penalties) 

McDiarmid Park – 7,260 

CELTIC 1-0 ABERDEEN (AET) 


1995/96 



DUNDEE 2 

AIRDRIEONIANS 1 

McDiarmid Park – 8,930 

1996/97 

RANGERS 6 


Celtic Park – 16,791 

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 3 

DUNDEE 1 

Easter Road – 15,653 

1997/98 

CELTIC 1 




ABERDEEN 1 


1998/99 

RANGERS 5 

AIRDRIEONIANS 0 

Celtic Park – 21,171 




1999/00 

ABERDEEN 1 


Dens Park – 10,169 

CELTIC 1-0 KILMARNOCK 


2000/01 

KILMARNOCK 3 

ST MIRREN 0 


CELTIC 3-1 RANGERS 


2001/02 

RANGERS 2-1 CELTIC (AET) 


AYR UNITED 1 

HIBERNIAN 0 (AET) 


64 


RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

2002/03 

RANGERS 1 



CELTIC 3-0 DUNDEE UNITED 


2003/04 

LIVINGSTON 1-0 DUNDEE 


HIBERNIAN 1 

RANGERS 1 (AET) 

(Hibernian won 4-3 on penalties) 


2004/05 

MOTHERWELL 3 


(AET) 


RANGERS 7 



2005/06 


LIVINGSTON 0 


CELTIC 2-1 MOTHERWELL 


2006/07 

KILMARNOCK 3-0 FALKIRK 

Fir Park – 10,722 

HIBERNIAN 3 

ST JOHNSTONE 1 (AET) 


2007/08 

RANGERS 2 




ABERDEEN 1 


2008/09 

RANGERS 3-0 FALKIRK 


CELTIC 0 

DUNDEE UNITED 0 (AET) 

(Celtic won 11-10 on penalties) 


2009/10 

ST MIRREN 1 


Fir Park – 9,170 

RANGERS 2 



2010/11 

CELTIC 4-1 ABERDEEN 


RANGERS 2-1 MOTHERWELL 


2011/12 

KILMARNOCK 1 

AYR UNITED 0 (AET) 


CELTIC 3-1 FALKIRK 


2012/13 


INVERNESS CALEDONIAN 

THISTLE 1 (AET) 

(Hearts won 5-4 on penalties) 


ST MIRREN 3-2 CELTIC 


2013/14 

ABERDEEN 4 



INVERNESS CALEDONIAN 

THISTLE 2 


(AET) 

(Inverness CT won 4-2 on penalties) 


2014/15 


ABERDEEN 1 




2015/16 

HIBERNIAN 2 



ROSS COUNTY 3-1 CELTIC 


2016/17 

ABERDEEN 2-0 MORTON 




2017/18 

CELTIC 4-2 HIBERNIAN 


MOTHERWELL 2 

RANGERS 0 


2018/19 

CELTIC 3 


Murrayfield – 61,161 



2019/20 

CELTIC 5-2 HIBERNIAN 


RANGERS 3 



2020/21 


HIBERNIAN 0 

Hampden Park 

LIVINGSTON 1-0 ST MIRREN 

Hampden Park 

2021/22 

CELTIC 1-0 ST JOHNSTONE 


HIBERNIAN 3-1 RANGERS 



65

RANGERS v 

ABERDEEN 

Manager: 

Michael Beale 

1 Allan McGregor (GK) 

2 James Tavernier 

3 Ridvan Yilmaz 

4 John Lundstram 

5 Filip Helander 

6 Connor Goldson 

7 Ianis Hagi 

8 Ryan Jack 

9 Antonio Colak 

10 Steven Davis 

11 Tom Lawrence 

14 Ryan Kent 

16 John Souttar 

17 Rabbi Matondo 

18 Glen Kamara 

19 James Sands 

20 Alfredo Morelos 

23 Scott Wright 

24 Nnamdi Ofoborh 

25 Kemar Roofe 

26 Ben Davies 

28 Robby McCrorie (GK) 

29 Charlie McCann 

30 Fashion Sakala 

31 Borna Barisic 

32 Kieran Wright (GK) 

33 Jon McLaughlin (GK) 

37 Scott Arfield 

38 Leon King 

44 Adam Devine 

49 Robbie Fraser 

50 Johnly Yfeko 

51 Alex Lowry 

69 Robbie Ure 

71 Malik Tillman 


Manager: 

Jim Goodwin 

1 Joe Lewis (GK) 

2 Ross McCrorie 

3 Jack MacKenzie 

4 Liam Scales 

5 Anthony Stewart 

6 Graeme Shinnie 

7 Shayden Morris 

8 Connor Barron 

9 Bojan Miovski 

10 Vicente Besuijen 

11 Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes 

14 Patrik Myslovic 

15 Marley Watkins 

16 Ylber Ramadani 

17 Jonny Hayes 

20 Leighton Clarkson 

21 Dante Polvara 

22 Hayden Coulson 

23 Ryan Duncan 

24 Kelle Roos (GK) 

25 Jayden Richardson 

28 Jack Milne 

33 Matty Kennedy 

36 Alfie Bavidge 

37 Callum Roberts 

46 Findlay Marshall 

47 Dylan Lobban 

48 Liam Harvey 

99 Christian Ramirez 

MATCH 

OFFICIALS 

Referee: 

Nick Walsh 

Assistant Referee 1: 

David Roome 

Assistant Referee 2: 

Calum Spence 

Fourth official: 

Euan Anderson 

VAR: 

Alan Muir 

Assistant VAR: 

Alan Mulvanny 

In the event of a draw 

If the scores are level 

after 90 minutes, extra 

time of 30 minutes will 

be played. Thereafter, 

if necessary, kicks 

from the penalty 

mark will determine 

the outcome. 

Goal-line technology 

The Hawk-Eye system 

will be in operation 

at today’s game at 

Hampden Park. 

Viaplay Cup final 

The 2022/23 Viaplay 

Cup final will take 

place at Hampden Park 

on Sunday February 

26, kick-off TBC. 

Mascots 

Rangers mascot: 

Joshua McCallum 

Aberdeen mascot: 

Dylan Clayton 

66 


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JUST A QUALITY VODKA. 

THAT IS ALL. 

PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL 

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What’s coming up? 

Scottish Viaplay Cup 

St. Johnstone 

Hibernian 

Semi-Finals 

4th Round 

V 

Saturday 21 st January 17:30 

V 

Sunday 22 nd January 14:00 

Rangers 

Heart of Midlothian 

Viaplay Cup Final 

Sunday 26th February 

Our Sports

VIAPLAY CUP | SEMI-FINAL | RANGERS V ABERDEEN | SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2023

ViaPlay Cup semi-final Rangers vs Aberdeen

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