Darren Dods reckons a League Cup repeat could be on the cards

Darren Dods was Dundee United’s unlikely hero when the Tangerines trounced Aberdeen at Tynecastle in the 2008 League Cup semi-final.

The defender netted his side’s all-important equaliser to cancel out Andrew Considine’s opener and lay the foundation for Christian Kalvanes, Chris Conway and Morgaro Gomis to add follow-up goals for a 4-1 victory.

It was a scoreline that was, Dods remembers, as emphatic as it was unexpected.

“I think there were a lot of similarities to this semi-final, in that I’d guess most people fancied Aberdeen going into the tie,” he said.

“They were under Jimmy Calderwood’s charge at the time and were a very strong side.

“There was a lot of talk before the match about them being fancied to get to the Final, even to win the Cup itself.

“But we knew we had a good team ourselves with guys like Noel Hunt, Willo Flood and Craig Conway about the place.

“So even after Aberdeen grabbed an early lead, we still believed we could beat them.

“I wasn’t what you would call a prolific scorer. The tie was played in February and up to that point I had only got one goal all season.

“But when Christian Kalvanes sent in a set-piece, I managed to get free of my marker and nod it in.

“That made a huge difference, not least because it silenced the Aberdeen fans behind the goal.

“We went in at the break and really kicked on when we came back after the interval to end up with a comfortable win.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for us in the Final because we lost to Rangers on penalties.”

Dods, still playing at the age of 39 in Scotland’s League One with Forfar Athletic, expects the current Dundee United side to also be victorious.

“I do fancy them but I think it will be a tight one, maybe even a draw in 90 minutes,” he said.

“Aberdeen’s League record has been very strong and there is a solid look to their team right now.

“But with the forward players United have at their disposal, they can definitely beat anyone on their day.

“The disappointment of losing the Scottish Cup Final to St Johnstone last season will still be pronounced so they won’t lack for motivation.

“Dundee have proved that, for all their good League form, Aberdeen can still be vulnerable in one-off game and I expect United to just about have enough.”