Stefan Gartenmann delivers brutally honest Aberdeen verdict as teammates told 'remember' Rangers cup final heartbreak

Dejected Stefan Gartenmann knows Aberdeen must use their Hampden heartache to spark their Premiership push into life.

The Dons knew they had missed a golden chance to deliver silverware, as they fell to a second half strike from Rangers captain James Tavernier. It was a final that was there for the taking but despite Aberdeen giving everything it was Philippe Clement’s side who grabbed the glory.

Gartenmann admitted it was a dejected Aberdeen dressing room, knowing they had let things slip through their fingers. Now they are out of Europe and the cup, there can be no excuses, they must get their Premiership form addressed if they want to finish third for a second consecutive season. The Dane admitted: “It’s all of those feelings right now. It’s frustration, it’s disappointment. The two hours after you’re just disappointed and you don’t know what to do with yourself. But we also see it as an opportunity…that feeling we have in there right now, we need to try and avoid that as much as possible.

“That’s the worst feeling you can have as a football player. And we need to now go and remember that feeling and try and avoid it as much as possible.”

Manager Barry Robson went with the tactics that had got his team some big results in Europe and domestically this season. They sat in, defended well and hit on the break. The issue was that they couldn’t create that one game-changing chance.

“We didn’t have what it took today,” the defender claimed. "We needed to test their keeper and defence a bit more.

“We had the feeling whenever we got close to their box and in there, there was something to be picked up there. But obviously we didn’t create the chance or chances and the stress in their box that was needed.

“And they were just a