Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie is available for Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Celtic following the facial injury he sustained after being hit by a section of seating thrown at Tannadice. MacKenzie, an unused substitute against Dundee United, was taken down the tunnel in a wheelchair after being caught on the face by the object, which came from a section housing Dons supporters.
A 31-year-old man has been charged with “acting in a culpable and reckless manner” in connection with the incident. “Jack MacKenzie has trained on the pitch today, and he was okay,” said manager Jimmy Thelin. “He is available for Saturday’s game. “We have a strong support network, good team-mates and good staff. “Jack is a strong guy, he has been performing well in the sessions. We also try to look forwards and not back. We have been taking care of him and he is doing well.” Aberdeen will have around 20,000 fans at Hampden at the weekend and Thelin was quick to stress that the behaviour of one individual should not reflect badly on the wider support.
“No matter what you do in life, if it’s football or something else, you have to feel safe in your job of course,” he said. “Incidents can happen, and it’s not okay, but it can happen. But overall if you think about the big picture, all the support we’ve had this year from the Aberdeen football family, it has been an incredible experience for me to be involved with across the year, all the emotions from the season. “Overall it is an amazing club with amazing supporters, so sometimes incidents can happen and it’s not okay, and it could have been even worse, but if you look at the bigger picture it has been a good year in my opinion.” Saturday’s match will be the first final of Thelin’s managerial career, with Aberdeen aiming to win the cup for the first time in 25 years.
“We have a clear plan of what we’re going to do,” said the Swede. “I think the Scottish Cup has a really big history, it’s a big thing, and you can feel it already around the club and around the country. We are really excited for this moment, everyone.”
