Take a wander through Barry Robson's family home and you'd be forgiven for wondering if he even lived there, never mind was a professional footballer with a Scottish Premier League and two League Cup winners medals.

In fact, unlike displays or canvasses commemorating his footballing triumphs, Robson's medals stay with his mum. That's not a problem for the Pittodrie boss, though, who is more than happy with the memories rather than the medals.

Robson still fondly reflects on his League Cup triumph with Aberdeen nine years ago and is well versed in the lengthy wait that extended almost 20 years previous to that triumph.

And the manager is intent on doing the double as a cup-winning player and manager for Aberdeen - even if he still might not feature in the pictures around his house.

"No, nothing like that," said Robson when quizzed on whether he had a display for his medals at home. "My mum has got them. "But the only pictures you will see on my walls is of my kids and my missus!

"There’s nothing of me, I can assure you. I’m at the bottom of the ladder in my house. 

"It’s all about the memories. You could be reading a newspaper or something pops up and you are reminded of the good times you had."

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He continued: "It was important [the 2014 League Cup win with Aberdeen], especially for myself. 

"I must have been 34 or 35 and I had just come back to Aberdeen. I had always wanted to play for Aberdeen but I had been away on my travels. And when I did I was lucky enough to win a cup with Aberdeen. 

"It was great having my whole family there and then there were a couple of days of celebration, which was good.

"I couldn’t get people out of my house for the next couple of days then the next person came round then my uncle came round. But it was good.

“When you retire, people think about the money, in whatever walk of life but as a footballer, you think about the things you have won. You never lose that.  

“When you see 40,000 Aberdeen fans coming down to Parkhead it was a phenomenal night and achievement.  

“Any time I hear Tommy Burns’s name I always think about that run and won the title and that group of players you are with.  

“You never forget that, it will always stay with you. It means you have won something and it is not often you get an opportunity to win something. They have a real opportunity to get to a final.”

Robson himself inadvertently played an integral off-the-pitch role in that triumph nine years ago and the subsequent celebrations. Having arrived late for a team meeting earlier in the season, Robson agreed to fund a 'carry out' for the squad should they lift a trophy that season. 

At the time it was a sore one on his bank balance, but Robson reflects fondly on the experience alongside his cup-winning team-mates - even if things did spiral out of control.

Asked whether he had to stump up for drinks for the journey back to Aberdeen, Robson laughed: "I did indeed because I was late for a team meeting. The annoying thing about that was I was actually sitting in the hotel room and I was thinking: ‘I’ve got to wait another 15 minutes.’ I was sitting around waiting but not realising the team meeting was actually now!

"So it wasn’t like I was late. I was sitting waiting in my room. I remember coming down to the meeting and they were the happiest team I have ever seen. There were set fines and I turned round and said to them: ‘I’m not paying a fine! But I’ll tell you what I’ll do. Go and win the cup and if we win the cup I’ll buy the biggest carry out you have ever seen.’ They right: ‘right, let’s do that!’

"And I tell you what — they did do that! That was a sore one on my bank balance. 

"They were just going into the shop and grabbing bottles of anything — I mean anything. And half of the stuff never got touched. 

"It was just to try and do me in. I don’t know where all that alcohol went but they were great times. It was a brilliant day and a brilliant night."

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And will Robson extend the same offer to his current Aberdeen charges in an unconventional Hampden team talk? 

"No chance! We have got enough games. They better not be drinking. They can leave that up to me and Aggers [Steve Agnew]! But even we don’t get time for a beer!

"Hopefully we can put a good performance on Saturday. It will be a really tough game, but we just have to try and bring as much enthusiasm and energy to the game as we can."

This afternoon's match also brings around a timely reminder of Robson's journey into first-team management after stepping in as interim in January before being handed the permanent job. 

When Aberdeen last played in the Viaplay Cup semi-final - in a 2-1 loss to Rangers - Robson was hard-at-work with the development squad.

"I would have been somewhere with the development group. I was always doing something, along with Scott (Anderson).  

“It was the Rangers game when big Anthony got sent off for a tackle. They did really well. Sometimes that happens and you don’t win the game but hopefully that doesn’t happen to us.”