After registering an early goal of the season contender to get the Dons on their way to victory over Ross County, skipper Graeme Shinnie was thrilled that his side are heading back to Hampden after a tough test at Dingwall.

“Playing at Hampden was a big incentive when I decided to come back here. We had quite a few trips there when I was first here, my wife and the kids enjoy their visits there, so I’m sure they’ll be happy! It’s a great opportunity to try and get through to a final so early on in the season but we’ll only concentrate on that game with Hibs when the time comes.

“I don’t score too many goals, but it’s a nice feeling when you catch it as clean as that and it flies in. I can’t remember many that I’ve scored that were better than that one. I’m delighted to chip in with a goal but even happier that we managed to get through the tie.

“I think this game said a lot about the mentality in the squad. They threw everything at us and it was frustrating that we gave away a few silly fouls in areas where they could throw things into the box. That brings pressure, the crowd gets into it, but the other side of it is that we stood up to that pressure. The three guys at the back dealt with it very well, and I think now they understand a bit more about the kind of thing they’ll come up against in Scotland.”

Successive victories over Ross County have put a more positive aspect on the season so far, Shinnie recognising that modern football is always, first and foremost, a results industry.

“It’s very early days in the season. The turnover in the squad with so many players coming in means it’ll take time to settle, but you don’t get time in football! You have to get results, even if you’re not playing well, like we did at St Mirren when we were horrendous, but still got a draw, which might be crucial when we get to next May. But these back-to-back wins will hopefully see us off in the right direction because it’s time we kicked on.

“Looking back, I think the Frankfurt game came at the perfect time for us, a European game that a lot of the boys who have come in understand better than the Scottish game at the minute. We knew we’d have to do a lot of defending, and after leaking a few goals, we knew we had to get organised and we did that in open play. The frustration came in conceding a penalty and from a set play, which were avoidable. But the game as a whole was a boost going into the Ross County games and on the whole, we’ve stood up to a very different test really well. That’ll give us a lot of confidence going forward.”