Aberdeen are suffering a seven-year itch that they plan to put right against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Pittodrie tonight. The club last reached a cup final in 2000 and it is a statistic that Jimmy Calderwood, the manager, wishes to rectify.

Calderwood read the riot act to his players yesterday, reminding them of how they underperformed in the 1-1 draw with Falkirk on Sunday and high-lighting the need for a massive improvement if they are to progress in the CIS competition.

“The players know my feelings about the mistakes which have cost us big-time. Teams don’t have to work hard for goals against us, while we have to work our socks off for everything we get. I was angry because I know the standards they are capable of and these haven’t been maintained in the last two games.

“There will be no tactical surprises tomorrow night. Big Brew [Craig Brewster, the Thistle manager] knows how I’ll approach the tie and I know how they’ll play. It just depends which Aberdeen team turns up.”

Richie Byrne, fit again after a year of injury, will come into the reckoning, praying that the bad times are well behind him. He is now pain-free, having been patient with his rehabilitation and feels excited at the timing of his return to action.

“The club have a lot to look forward to with the European campaign,” he said, “and the chase to qualify for that again next season. It would be great to get a step nearer to winning a trophy as that really would be massive for Aberdeen. I know some people don’t rate the CIS Cup, but I want a winner’s medal as I have never lifted any silverware with a Scottish club.

“We see the pictures of the great Aberdeen teams every day, but it is very hard to win trophies given the budget this club works with now.”

Jamie Smith, Andrew Considine, Chris Clark and Richard Foster are all fit, but Darren Mackie and Steve Lovell, the strikers, are still injured.