QUEEN of the South will face Aberdeen or Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-finals after last night's draw – made at Gleneagles by FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA counterpart Michel Platini – opened up the possibility of an all-Old Firm final.
First Division Queens were the first team to reach the last four with their 2-0 home win over Dundee, but the rest of the semi-final line-up has still to be determined.
Aberdeen are at home to Celtic in the quarter-finals today, while St Johnston
e or St Mirren, who must replay at Love Street a week on Tuesday after their 1-1 draw at McDiarmid Park yesterday, could face any one of three teams in the final four.
They were drawn to play the side who come through the quarter-final against Partick, who will play the winners of today's fifth-round replay between Rangers and Hibernian.
That quarter-final will be played on March 19, with the semi-finals scheduled for the weekend of April 12/13.
The draw at McDiarmid Park left St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson relieved his side were still in the competition.
The SPL team had to fight back from a goal down against First Division St Johnstone but while his second-half substitute Stewart Kean played a role in the move which set up Andy Dorman for his 73rd minute equaliser, he refused to lay claim to any real tactical genius, claiming it was just a case of getting as many attack-minded players on the pitch.
"The players take the criticism at times but you've also got to give them praise," MacPherson said. "They deserved the draw. You know, at that stage, they were out the cup but they showed tremendous character to come back."
But if MacPherson was relieved to hear the final whistle, his opposite number, Derek McInnes, was disappointed not to have held on to the lead.
"Everything I asked the players to bring to the tie was there in abundance," said the St Johnstone manager. " There was a real appetite right from the very first minute. In the end we're disappointed but we're still in the draw."
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