Aidan dreaming of more Hampden heroics

Aidan Nesbitt was delighted Hampden was chosen as the venue for Saturday’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Aberdeen as it is a stadium that holds fond memories for the winger.

The 19-year-old watched the final-four draw with baited breath in the hope his current team were not paired with parent club Celtic, thereby rendering him ineligible for the tie.

Nesbitt, who recently won his first Scotland Under-21 cap away in Iceland, was thrilled to avoid the Parkhead outfit and ensure he was available for selection in Jim Duffy’s squad this weekend.

But it was in their colours that he last strutted his stuff at the national stadium, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-2 win against arch-rivals Rangers in the 2015 Scottish Youth Cup final – and he is dreaming of another successful Hampden outing on his return.

Speaking exclusively to gmfc.net, he said: “We got our rewards by beating Dundee United in the cup to get to the semi-final and everybody was buzzing, everybody is high.

“We’re playing well and we got the win last weekend. We’re getting a wee bit of momentum in our performances and we can go and be confident with it.

“With the draw I didn’t want Celtic because it would have meant I couldn’t have played, but it’s a draw and you’re in the semi-final at Hampden so you would take anybody really.

“I’m delighted it’s at Hampden. With Celtic I played Rangers in the [youth cup] final at Hampden and I scored a hat-trick, and I think that was the last time I played there. It was a good night for us and hopefully Saturday can be another good day.

“We’re all looking forward to the cup semi-final at Hampden. It’s just one game, it’s 90 minutes, it’s 11 versus 11, so anything can happen. You never know – we could make the final.”

Image: David Bell