As an Aberdeen fan of 45 years, I have seen my fair share of ups and downs as well as the occasional heart-breaking moment. The two Skol Cup finals in 1987 and 1988 spring to mind, as does the more recent 2017 Scottish Cup final when Tom Rogic’s 92nd-minute goal was a dagger through the heart but nothing compares to Saturday’s penalty shoot-out defeat against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

Heading into the game I doubt many observers gave Aberdeen any sort of chance to cause an upset. I confess I had little confidence myself, all I wanted was for us to compete and not embarrass ourselves – I was not ready for the type of performance that we put in over 120 minutes. Where did that come from? Once the penalties had been concluded and I was able to gather my thoughts, I felt an immense amount of pride - as much as I was hurting. Football can be such a cruel game sometimes.

Interim manager Peter Leven, not for the first time these past few weeks, masterminded the team's tactics and game plan to perfection. Who would have predicted that type of start from the Dons? Leighton Clarkson, who this season has been a shadow of the player we had on loan last campaign, came into his own on Saturday. It just goes to show, play the kid to his potential, in his favoured No.10 position and he can cause all sorts of bother to the opposition. All Leighton needs is time on the ball and the room to manoeuvre his magic, he won’t get that playing in a more deeper role. His through ball to Bojan Miovski for the opening goal was a piece of art.

As much as there were 10/10 performances all over the park I must credit skipper Angus MacDonald with the best of them all. Despite his horrific mistake which led to Celtic’s equaliser his performance from there on in was nothing short of sensational. He could easily have crumbled after allowing Celtic to get back into the game but he did the complete opposite, he put in a performance worthy of wearing the captain’s armband. His last-gasp equaliser at the end of extra-time was just reward for a fantastic performance all round, a captain’s performance. If all the lads follow his example and continue to show that type of desire and appetite to do well I have every confidence Aberdeen can finish the season strongly and as high up the table as possible, albeit in the bottom six.

We as Aberdeen fans have been baffled by many of our performances this season. We all know there is a decent squad of players there and with the right manager in place, who can bring the best out of them, they can achieve so much more. Let’s be honest, it’s been nothing short of a passive campaign. If Saturday showed us anything the performance tells us the players have been massively underachieving. It’s up to them now to show the same kind of spirit and determination as they did on Saturday to finish the season strongly and prove to the incoming Jimmy Thelin that they want to remain Aberdeen players for the foreseeable future. They have now shown us that they can compete in Glasgow against all the odds, they have shown us that they do have a type of spirit that we all felt was missing, and they have shown us that they are worthy of pulling on the famous old red jersey. I am incredibly proud of them today and long may that continue.

This column will be my final one for the Herald as it stands. I would like to thank everybody at the Herald for giving me a platform to vent and to bring you my thoughts online. I am very grateful for the opportunity. Stand Free!