Aberdeen FC's emerging talent squad saw their KDM Evolution Trophy run end in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Queen's Park on Tuesday night. The young Dons battled back from an early deficit to force a 1-1 draw before losing 4-2 on spot-kicks in the Round of 32 at Balmoral Stadium.

Stephen Craigan, overseeing the side, said his players deserved more. "Sometimes in football you don't always get what you deserve," he told reporters after the match. "I don't want to name names, but people from their side, players and staff, said we deserved to win the game."

Queen's Park took a 14th-minute lead through Tyrece McDonnell, who finished a Ben Brannan pass. Aberdeen, captained by Zak To and featuring many players out on development loans, grew into the contest. Andrew Fasanya was denied by a strong save from Milosz Sliwinski before the break.

The second half was dominated by the home side. Sam McLean clipped the crossbar with a 25-yard effort, and Dylan Ross struck the post moments later. The pressure told in the 78th minute when McLean fired an unstoppable 20-yard drive into the bottom corner to level the tie.

With no further goals, the match went straight to penalties. Dylan Ross and Joseph Teasdale scored for Aberdeen, but Zak To fired wide and Lewis Carrol's effort was saved by Sliwinski. Queen's Park converted all four of their kicks to progress to the last-16.

Craigan emphasised the developmental value of the performance for his squad, who had qualified from the group stage with three wins and a draw. "We challenged the players, if they want to progress their careers and become an Aberdeen player, to go and match Championship players and excel in a game like this," he said. "I think lots of them can come away feeling proud of themselves."

The cup exit comes as the senior Aberdeen side, 10th in the Premiership with 11 points from 11 games, prepares for a key league fixture. They host 12th-placed Hibernian this Saturday, looking to end a run of three consecutive defeats.

Aberdeen's first team have struggled for goals, netting just 12 times in the league this season. Their last outing was a 1-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox. The emerging squad's spirited cup performance, however, offered a positive note amid a challenging period. The club's next match is against Hibernian at Pittodrie on November 7.

This story first appeared at afc.co.uk