Michael Duberry insists picking up the man-of-the-match prize against Celtic was no consolation for losing out on a place in the last four of the Co-operative Insurance Cup not when he was dreaming of a Hampden appearance.
As Saints prepare to welcome the Parkhead men back to Perth in the league on Saturday, the defender said, “It means absolutely nothing. I wanted to get to a cup final and, although we’ll have another chance later in the season, I’m still bitterly disappointed.”
Duberry accepted his share of the blame for the concession of three goals in the opening 13 minutes.
“That poor start cost us what was a massive chance to get to the semis. The first 15-20 minutes were just a blur I can’t remember the specifics of any of the goals. It was just a case of wondering what was going on.
“But I’m sure the gaffer will get the DVD on come Friday and we’ll see the horror show. We need to go through that to learn where we went wrong.”
“From a personal point of view and as a defensive unit it was embarrassing. As a back four and me and Dave Mackay as a pairing, we’ve put in some solid performances. But for that opening period we were all over the place.
“Luckily, though, as a team we didn’t crumble at 3-0 down and went on to make a game of it.
“We’re not quitters and we showed that. We also proved that if you get Celtic on the back foot they aren’t as strong or resilient as taking a 3-0 lead suggested.”
That convinced Duberry that Saints have the ability to beat the Hoops and Rangers.
“I really believe the gap between the Old Firm and the rest of us isn’t as big as people make out. It’s just a case of belief and habit.
“Celtic and Rangers tend to win more often than not and believe in themselves. We need to show more belief against them, especially after more than matching Celtic for 60 minutes.”CharacterBoss Derek McInnes saluted his side’s resilience and character, but he admitted that the shortcomings in their performance will also need to be dealt with ahead of Saturday’s rematch.
“There are positives to take from the defeat, despite the disappointment we all feel,” he said.
“We can take pride from the way we responded. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb yet almost forced extra time through sheer guts, determination and spirit.
“We will now assess the players and see how their energy levels are for the SPL game.”
McInnes added, “We showed how good a side we are playing at the right tempo and I will pick my team with that in mind.
“But we were really poor defensively in that opening half-hour, making basic errors. That will have to be addressed.”Saints have a fitness worry over Murray Davidson (ankle).