Dom Ball believes Aberdeen’s triumph in their Easter Road shoot-out can fire fresh life into their stuttering Ladbrokes Premiership campaign.
The Dons clinched a Betfred Cup semi-final slot after holding their nerve when their clash with Hibernian went all the way to penalties.
It was a night of joy for Derek McInnes’ team but for most of the season, the Reds have been wearing glum faces after a less than impressive start to their league schedule.
So far, they have claimed just two wins from six fixtures but Ball hopes their capital gains can inspire a more profitable run.
He told RedTV: “Winning a game like that at this stage of the season is massive. We can take a lot of momentum from that.
“We were all in there absolutely buzzing after the game.
“To go through 90 minutes then extra time and to win it on penalties just makes it that extra bit sweeter.
“We had our fair chances as well. There were a couple of one v ones and we didn’t take them, but it was a really good game. Momentum changed, and we’ve come out victorious so we’re all buzzing.”
Ball and his Pittodrie colleagues had a day to forget that last time they ran out at Hampden as Motherwell bullied their way to a 3-0 win in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals back in April.
But the former Spurs and Rangers midfielder is hoping for a different outcome this time.
He said: “This year is completely different and we want to get ourselves in the cup final. We want to go and win trophies this year and I think we’ve got the squad of players here to do that. Lets see how it goes.”
Ball came close to giving his team the edge during the regulation 90 minutes when he cracked the crossbar with a stunning free-kick.
But he was made to sweat it out on the bench after being replaced during extra-time and was relieved to see McInnes’ men claim a 6-5 victory after Hibs winger Thomas Agyepong missed the decisive effort from the spot.
“I was getting ready to run off and celebrate my free-kick and to run the length of the pitch to jump into the stand,” said Ball. “I’ve always had that free-kick, but just haven’t had the opportunity to take it. I’m gutted it didn’t go in.
“After it goes to extra-time, all you’re thinking is, ‘Can we win this game?’ You’re starting to cramp up and get tired, but that’s a credit to the players in our team. We all fought and got it to penalties and have gone on and won it.
“Looking at every single one of those players that took a penalty all of us on the bench watching trusted them. Even Niall McGinn missing we still had that belief we were going to win with Joe Lewis in goal.”
