Dons ace Lewis Ferguson insists his Hampden sending off will make him a better player as he prepares to face Celtic again.
The midfielder will line up against the Hoops in Saturday’s Premiership clash at Pittodrie.
It will be just three weeks after Ferguson was given a straight red card against the Glasgow side in the Scottish Cup semi-final at the national stadium.
The 19-year-old caught Tom Rogic with a two-footed lunge midway through the second half, which saw the reds reduced to nine men after Dom Ball had been sent off in the first period.
Ferguson, who has been nominated for PFA Scotland’s Young Player of the Year, was gutted with his actions at Hampden, but insists he has learned from it.
He said: “It was frustration, I was desperate.
“It was such a high- profile game and I just felt as if the game was getting away from us.
“I was trying to make something happen and I felt the game was going in completely the wrong direction that I wanted it to go in.
“A lot of things mixed in together – frustration, I was desperate and I made a mistake.
“It’s a mistake I regret, I didn’t mean it. I let down the players on the pitch, the staff and the fans.
“I was so disappointed in myself, but as soon as it happened it was done.
“I just tried to forget about it, but it is moments like that which make you better.
“I feel I will be better for that experience. I have played in a lot of high-profile games and I don’t think it was inexperience which caused the challenge.
“It was just a clear mistake. I’ve been pleased with how I’ve handled myself in high-profile games.
“I felt I’d handled myself pretty well, but that day I made a mistake and we are all human.
“I’m sure experienced pros have made mistakes like that going into a challenge like that where they weren’t thinking and got sent off.
“I don’t think it was an experience thing, it was pure frustration and I made a massive mistake.”
When Ferguson was sent off in the semi-final the Dons’ backs were already pressed against the wall.
Ball had picked up two yellow cards in the first period, the second for a sickening head clash with former Aberdeen loanee Ryan Christie.
James Forrest had put Celtic a goal up in the stoppage time added at the end of the first half, before Odsonne Edouard’s penalty just after the hour made it 2-0 to the Hoops.
Ferguson admits a lot of things were in his mind as he careered into Rogic, who netted Celtic’s third moments later. But afterwards the only thought in the former Hamilton player’s head was for the team-mates he’d let down.
Ferguson added: “Lots of things were running through my mind after it happened.
“But there is one which sticks out in my mind – which was the players left out on the pitch that way and how I’d let them down.
“A lot of things didn’t go the way we wanted them to that day.
“Then when I made the mistake and got sent off, even walking off all I could think of was how I’d let the other boys down.
“It was tough already with 10 men. We were 2-0 down to Celtic at Hampden.
“So to then make that mistake and get sent off was so disappointing.”