Graeme Shinnie is desperate to lift the Viaplay Cup trophy as Aberdeen captain after being on the losing side the last time the Dons won it almost a decade ago.

The 32-year-old was playing for Inverness when they lost on penalties to the Pittodrie side in the League Cup final following a goalless draw at Celtic Park in March 2014.

Shinnie and his Caley Thistle colleagues bounced back to win the Scottish Cup by beating Falkirk just over a year later in what was his last game as captain of the Highland outfit before joining Aberdeen for his first spell.

Now back at Pittodrie for a second stint after a couple of years in England, the skipper would love to win his first trophy in Aberdeen colours by defeating Rangers at Hampden on Sunday.

“In football lifting trophies is some of the best memories you’ll ever have, as Aberdeen fans know from the 2014 cup final,” he told Aberdeen TV.

“It wasn’t a great final, was it? It was a bit nervy, nobody really wanted to attack and take the game by the scruff of the neck. And to lose that on penalties was a blow for Inverness.

“At that time we were flying high, we were a good team. We had almost built up to that moment and missing out at that time at Inverness, it probably felt like our best opportunity had gone.

“But luckily we got another one, and to lift the Scottish Cup at that age, 23, was a great feeling and a great honour.

“It happened so early in my career, it feels like a long time ago but at the end of my career, that is a moment I’ll look back on.

“If I could get my hands on the other cup now, it would be a cup double which would be great memories to look back on.”

Aberdeen are in the bottom half of the cinch Premiership with just four wins from their 15 league matches so far.

However, their form in the cup, allied to some strong performances in Europe, gives them hope that they can pull off an upset against a Rangers side they have already taken four points from in their two league meetings.

“Form doesn’t matter,” he said. “Cup games are very different. It’s a different game, there’s a prize at the end of it, there’s a different atmosphere in the ground, it’s at Hampden so it’s a neutral venue.

“I think we all know as a squad that we’re not where we want to be in terms of our league form, it’s not been good enough.

“Have we found it tough after some of the European games? Probably. It’s been a different challenge for the squad, but we need to do better. I think throughout the season there has been a lot of good performances, especially in Europe.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t take more out of the games because performance-wise some of them have been very good. We obviously beat Rangers away which was another top performance but we’ve let ourselves down in some of the other matches.

“It’s that kind of form we need to change but going into a cup final, the full focus is on trying to win the game and win the trophy so it’s a little bit of a different mindset.”