Graeme Shinnie

“I thought we were right in amongst the game. Frustrating. You need a bit of luck, we might have got it when their own player hits the bar, and little bits like that. We were in the game, we put as much pressure on them as we could, but frustrating at the end of the day to lose the game.

“The performance was good. Celtic knew they were in a game. We just did not have that edge and were unable to get the goal we needed.

“It was not nice to see the injury to Gary.

“It was one of the worst I’ve ever seen since I started playing football. I was just wanting to get things moving as quickly as possible and to get him the help he was needing.

“He was out cold. He was knocked out but I don’t want to go into much more about what I saw out of respect for Gary. It wasn’t nice but the medics did really well to give him the help he needed.

“These things happen in football and you have to deal with it on the field. But what happened to Gaz puts it in perspective a bit. It was a bad injury and it was not nice too see.

“We hope that he is recovering and is ok. There’s more to it life than football and we wish Gary all the best.

“Connor came on and did very well. He has got a great future. He has got a good physique for a young boy. He has got great confidence and he has got great feet. He is direct and he will have a big part to play in the next few years as this team develops.

“We felt it was not a penalty at the time, but the referee told me to watch it back saying it was clearly a penalty. I have watched it back and it is clearly not penalty but I guess justice was done with Joe’s save, he has done that many times before. It did give us a lift. And from that point we tried to put as much pressure on as we could and we did create a few little things but as I say we could not get that goal to get us back into the game.

“Afterwards it was just frustrated me when some of their players are celebrating in front of a young 19-year-old kid who is just trying to do well. You can have a wee bit more class than that.

‘It doesn’t bother me. But when it’s people like young Ferguson they are going for, they are older professionals and they should know better. But we can deal with it.

“Lewis has dealt with stuff like that in the past and he will deal with it again when he’s involved in big games. He can handle himself very well and he will be fine.

“It is a big month with plenty of games. There can be no hangover.”

Dom Ball

“Absolutely gutted. It is my first real final. As a team we believed we could win that game, so it is very hard to take.

“Ryan did very well and fair play to him. I just wish it was for our team he was scoring.

“The last three games against Celtic, there has only been one goal between the sides. It is just a lack of concentration in the two games this season that has cost us and gifted them the win.

“Looking at the game it could have been us.

“I knew straight away it was not a penalty. I headed it onto my hand and it was clearly outside the box. I think the referee has been influenced by some of the Celtic players shouting and appealing for it. It was clear to everyone that it was a terrible decision.

“There were a lot of other decisions that have gone against us. But I am not going to say that is the reason we lost. They have scored the goal and we have not.

“We have got a very young team, especially in comparison with a lot of the other teams in our league. To get to the final with the number of young players we had involved, the future is bright for Aberdeen.”

Andy Considine

“I thought we gave a very good account of ourselves and felt for long parts of the game we did the basics right, which I felt was the main thing for us today.

“Much like the Rangers game in the Semi-Final we were tight as a unit, restricted them to few chances and other than the Celtic goal you could count on one hand the chances they had. The Gaffer threw me up front at the end and they had a couple of breakaways, but I thought we were pretty comfortable.

“We felt today we had a really good chance at set plays and most corners and free kicks that came in we were always getting the first head onto it. Scott’s one in the second half, when he’s got in front of the first man and it’s moving across goal, just needs someone to tap in.

“The boys are positive – yes it’s disappointing, but the world of football that we live in means we’ve got Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday. We need to pick ourselves up and if there was a way to make ourselves feel better we’d go to a place like that and get a win.

“It was a sore one and wasn’t nice to see (Gary’s injury). I’ve spoken to the doctors and he’s conscious so they were waiting on scans, but I think he’s doing well.

“Their striker Edouard tried to drag myself and Scott into little pockets to open the space for midfielder runners like Ryan Christie. That’s all it takes to switch off because they’ve got the runs of Rogic and Christie and we have to be in control of that throughout the game.

“We had chances when they went 1-0 up to get one back, but it just wasn’t meant to be today.

“I was saying to the boys there that when we come up against Celtic and Rangers – in years gone by it’s almost like if they win it doesn’t matter we’ll go onto the next one – but I feel we’re so close to then now and it hurts so much more. We can go toe to toe with them and we’ve shown we can win in Glasgow. A result like this hurts, but Wednesday night is massive, as is this month. Like every other team in the league we’ve got nine games and fingers crossed we can come through with flying colours.”

Scott McKenna

“It is a difficult one to take. I thought we played relatively well but it is one lapse in concentration that has cost us.

“Gary was very influential in the game up until then. It was horrible to see the collision but hopefully is ok. That is the main priority. But he was a big player for us to lose. Maybe the stop in play caused the lapse in concentration.

“There are a lot of young boys in the squad and hopefully they can learn from days like today. If we can get back to cup finals, then they will be more ready for it. Hopefully it will stand us in good stead.

“We will think about this game tonight but tomorrow we need to move on. We have a massive game against Rangers on Wednesday night.”

Joe Lewis

“We’re obviously gutted. I thought we put in a shift, worked hard and the game plan was decent.

“The injury to Gary has maybe caused the switch off possibly with the run from Ryan for their goal, but very disappointing.

“We’ve got in my opinion the best medical staff you could have in a situation like that so he was in good hands. It’s always worrying, but as a player on the pitch you have to put it to the back of your mind straight away and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope he’s back with us soon. There was a game to carry on with and you just have to focus.

“We had one or two opportunities and balls were flashing across the face of the goal. I thought we were always going to be a threat from a set play, but the ball didn’t fall to us. I think you can take a little bit of pride in the performance and the way we stood up to what they had. In a cup final the result is all that matters.

“I’ve seen the replay for the penalty. It didn’t hit his hand in the box so it’s not a penalty, but he’s given it and you have to get on with it. It’s disappointing.

“It’s a cup final and both teams are desperate to win. If there’s not needle and not tackles flying in then you’d be wondering why you’re there really. It’s to be expected.

“It’s a huge game on Wednesday and that’s the challenge now for us. We’re staying down in Glasgow and doing everything properly. That’s the task now to get our heads switched on towards that. It’s a massive disappointment today, but you’ve got no other option other than focussing on that game. if you can’t get up for Rangers away as an Aberdeen player then you shouldn’t be at the club.

“I’m sure we’ll bring numbers down again. The support has been unbelievable and especially our away support, which is in my opinion second to none. I’m sure they’ll get behind us and the lads will have to refocus on that.”

Sam Cosgrove

“We’re obviously very disappointed initially, but as a team, as a squad and as a club we can hold our heads up high.

“The performance wasn’t pretty, but it was effective for the majority of the game and we just lacked that clinical edge. I’d reiterate how proud we must be as a club. The fans were absolutely fantastic as always, but that was always a given and we knew they were going to be there in their numbers. In the end we’re just disappointed we couldn’t give them that victory the club needs.

“It’s never nice to see one of your teammates and friends go down hurt seriously, but at the end of the day we’re professionals and we still had a job to do.

“That’s maybe even more frustrating that the other finals because there’s no doubt about it the game was there for the taking today. We were so close, but when the final whistle goes it’s another loss. We are disappointed, but we can hold heads up high.

“It was something I was ready for. I’m always ready to come into the team as and when I’m chosen. I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d get my chance again and I just want to do my best for the team and that’s all that was on my mind. I’ll do as much as I can for that.

“We’ve kept them quiet all game and Joe’s had a few saves, one of which is the save for the goal so we’ve done our job nearly all over the pitch. It’s just keeping the clean sheet then getting a goal by being more clinical.

“It wasn’t the perfect performance, but it was up there and I think that performance would get us a win in 90% of the games we’ll play this season. Hopefully we can keep those standards going into a busy period.

“We’re a fantastic group and have a right to be disappointed, but on the other hand we’ve got a massive game coming up on Wednesday and that could actually be a blessing in disguise. We’re looking to get back up on our feet and looking to get a very big result against Rangers.

“The manager just reiterated what I’ve said there. We’re disappointed, but at the end of the day we can hold our heads up high and that performance will win us the majority of games. If we can keep those standards then we’ve got a good chance of doing well this season.”