Leighton Clarkson has 2 big Aberdeen targets in mind as breaking Hearts at Hampden eases Celtic pain

The midfielder was a stand out in the Dons midfield as they eventually got the better of nine-man Hearts

From Hampden heart-break to breaking Hearts at the national stadium.

Ecstatic Leighton Clarkson hailed Aberdeen for digging in to cure the lingering pain of last season’s spot-kick defeat to Celtic – and secure their first Scottish Cup Final since 2017.

Clarkson was a stand out in the Dons midfield as they persevered at the national stadium to eventually see off nine-man Jambos with a ruthless late extra-time winner.

A year ago today it was the Pittodrie men that were left floored after an epic six-goal thriller with Celtic ended in a penalty shoot out defeat.

They suffered more last-four agony against the Hoops when they were thumped 6-0 in this year’s League Cup semi-final.

But this time it was the Red Army celebrating a dramatic ending thanks to Oday Dabbagh’s 118th-minute strike.

And Clarkson – making his sixth appearance at Hampden – said: “It means everything. It’s why players come to clubs like this, because you’re expected to get into finals.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve had a few days out at Hampden in the semi-finals and it’s good to get to a final.

“Last year’s semi-final was obviously really painful. We came back twice against a top team and it went to pens, and we were unfortunate to lose.

“Today it was not our best performance. But it’s not always about the performance in games like this, it’s about getting through.

“It’s a completely different game to last year. When they go down to 10 men it almost becomes a bit harder because they’re trying to defend. The pitch wasn’t wet enough, so it was hard to get pace and tempo into the game.

“We just tried to keep probing and put crosses into the box, see if they could deal with it and we managed to get that last goal.”

Clarkson could have been forgiven for allowing his mind to wander to penalty kicks again as the clock ticked down. But he insists the thought never crossed his mind.

And the former Liverpool kid paid tribute to match-winner Dabbagh who pounced on the rebound after Craig Gordon had brilliantly saved from sub Jack Milne.

He said: “No, penalties weren’t on my mind. I believed we had the quality and we’d always have one more chance.

“Oday’s delighted, we’re all delighted for him. He’s worked his socks off since he’s come in, even in training.

“He’s maybe not had as many minutes as he wants to, but it shows the togetherness in the group. Everyone’s ready and everyone wants to perform at their best.

“You’ve got lads on the bench that are willing to put in performances when they come on and deserve to start. He probably dreamed of scoring a winner at Hampden last night.

“He was there to tap it in. Again, that’s where you want strikers to score your goals, in the six-yard box.

“The keeper parried a couple into there and we weren’t quite in the same position to put them away. Thankfully, he was there in that moment.

“It gives us something to look forward to next month.” The Dons threw away a two goal lead against 10-man Rangers last week.

And Clarkson revealed lessons learned from that Pittodrie downer were crucial after Michael Steinwender was sent off shortly before half-time and Cammy Devlin saw red late in extra time.

He said: “Last week against Rangers they went down to 10 men and they took a chance.

“We let the game go and we learned our lesson. We stopped as many transitions as possible against Hearts. Yeah, not as fluid in the attack as what we’d have liked. The pitch was long and dry, so it was hard to switch the ball a few times.

“But at the end of the day, we’ve come here to win and get to the final.

“We always know we’ve got pace on the transition and that’s where the first red card comes from. And from then on, it was just about controlling the game.”

Jimmy Thelin’s players will meet up to watch the second semi-final between St Johnstone and Celtic this afternoon.

And Clarkson wasn’t hiding who he hopes will come through to book their place in the final with the Dons.

He laughed: “It goes without saying, doesn’t it? But no, listen, no matter who’s in front of us, it’s a one-off game.

“And of course, the last time we were here against them (Celtic) the defeat was very convincing. We’ll need to make sure that if they do get through, then it’s a one-off game that’s different.”

Thelin has overcome a mid-term collapse, during which the Dons went 14 league games without a win, to stabilise his side and lead them into the final. They’re also in the fight for third spot in the Premiership.

Clarkson insists they are targeting finishing best of the rest in the league – then lifting the final silverware of the season on May 24. He said: “At the start, we were winning games of football and we were really good at doing that.

“And then comes a point where we struggle to win games, and that can be fine margins. It can be decisions and mistakes, but we’ve come through the other end.

“I always knew that we would. We’ve still got two targets – to get third and win the Cup. We’re looking forward to it.”