Celtic manager Gordon Strachan believes some divine intervention would have prevented his team crashing out of the Scottish Cup to Aberdeen.The home side dominated the quarter-final clash for almost 90 minutes and were really only threatened by a slack backpass from skipper Stephen McManus which allowed Richard Foster a chance just before the break, and by the corner which led to Darren Mackie's 69th-minute winner.

Celtic had equalised in the second minute of injury-time in the first game at Pittodrie but ran out of luck against the determined Dons who face Irn-Bru First Division side Queen of the South in the semi-finals.

"If the footballing gods had been looking down kindly tonight then we would have got through to the next round," Strachan said.

"We wish Aberdeen all the best but after making the number of chances that we did, we get put out by a team that had a pass back and corner.

"We had enough chances but we are not at our sharpest in front of goal, but we will keep working at it.

"We ask the team to restrict the other side from making chances and we did that, and we ask the players to create chances and nobody can deny that we created chances. You can't ask for more than that.

"It's just that bit at the end and it's down to the players. There is nothing we can do about it but keep working hard in training."

The Dons are in their first Scottish Cup semi-final in eight years and they will face up to Queen of the South on the weekend of April 12/13.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood admitted to fearing a case of deja vu as Celtic swarmed around the Dons goal in the dying stages of the game.

He said: "It was wonderful result.

"Celtic threw everything at us and when they got a corner with 30 seconds to go I was thinking it was going to be the same scenario as the first game.

"We rode our luck at times and I think we could have passed the ball better.

"We were missing Alexander Diamond at that time and they had a lot of height in their team with Samaras coming on, but we got away with it."

Aberdeen will be firm favourites to reach the Hampden final in May but Calderwood, alluding to his team's comprehensive CIS Insurance Cup semi-final defeat by Dundee United earlier in the season, refused to look any further than the game against Gordon Chisholm's side.

He said: "Being favourites is dangerous for us.

"Big Gordon has four ex-Aberdeen players down there and I'm sure they would rather face us than face Celtic.

"We didn't turn up for the CIS insurance Cup semi-final but hopefully we turn up this time and don't let the fans down."

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