Nicky Low struggles to remember his high

Winning the League Cup still hasn’t sunk in for Nicky Low.

But when Aberdeen’s first open-top bus parade in 19 years reaches Union Street today, he believes it will finally hit home.

Low was a penalty hero in last Sunday’s Final, notching the Dons’ second spot kick on their way to a 4-2 shoot-out win over Inverness Caley Thistle.

Like an entire generation of Aberdeen fans, the Greenock-born star has spent the last week trying to get his head around what happened at Celtic Park.

Even with red-to-the-core team-mates like Russell Anderson around him on a daily basis, he hasn’t succeeded.

But he expects that to finally change today when the Dons take to the streets of Aberdeen to show off their first trophy in almost two decades.

He said: “When we turn the corner and see Union Street packed, I think it’ll sink in then that we’ve done something remarkable.

“It will be special for everybody at the club, and for the fans.

“For players like Russell Anderson who have been brought up here, they’re Aberdeen fans until they die.

“People like Jim Leighton, too. It means a lot to them, and we’re happy we managed to bring the Cup home.”

Low was only three years old when the Dons last lifted a trophy in 1995.

Nonetheless, he celebrated his successful penalty against Inverness like a man who took every trophyless year at Pittodrie personally.

That endeared him to Aberdeen fans, but Low revealed his post-spot kick display of emotion came as a surprise to him.

He said: “I watched the game on Monday and I didn’t remember doing that after my penalty!

“I thought I’d just run back to the halfway line! But my adrenaline was going and the atmosphere was amazing.

“I didn’t realise I’d celebrated like that until I saw the video. But I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”

With his contract about to run out, Low’s star Cup Final turn couldn’t have come at a better time.

And he revealed he is desperately hoping Derek McInnes is of a mind to offer him a new contract because he believes more trophies are in the pipeline.

He said: “My contract’s up in the summer like a few other boys. The gaffer’s been busy with the Final and all the important League games we’ve had.

“But hopefully if I continue to do well between now and the end of the season, I’ll sign a new deal.

“I don’t want to leave now because this club’s on the up. A cup Double could be on and there could be good times over the next couple of years.”