CELTIC'S determination not to crash out of two competitions inside five days has kept their Scottish Cup dream alive.

After the disappointment of a Champions League KO in Barcelona, the holders came within a minute of exiting the Scottish Cup at Aberdeen.

But Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's dramatic injury-time equaliser has set up a replay against the Dons next midweek - by which time Celtic could be top of the league, if they can win against Dundee United on Wednesday then Motherwell on Saturday.

Midfielder Paul Hartley reckons anything is possible when his team's true grit comes into play.

As he reflected on the last-gasp escape at Pittodrie, Hartley said: "I don't think we are a team who would let our heads go down because we didn't feel it was going to be our day. We just keep going and going, like we did at Aberdeen, desperate to score the goal we always believed we could get.

"We created enough chances to win two or three games. We hit the post three times, including one shot from me when we were chasing the equaliser. And we had a couple of other good efforts saved.

"But we just kept going because we have a great attitude towards winning games. You always know when you are in the last couple of minutes, but we managed to get the goal and stay in the cup."

Like the rest of his team-mates, Hartley is still hurting at no longer being in Europe.

But there was never any danger they would let this disappointment - or the fact they were without a clutch of important players through suspension, illness, injury and being cup tied - effect their commitment to playing at Aberdeen.

He said: "We knew how important the game was. We are trying to win a cup tie and to get to a semi-final. So it wasn't hard to lift ourselves for the game."

The winners of this tie know they will face First Division Queen of the South in the Hampden semi-final.

But Hartley refuses to look that far ahead as the Parkhead club focus on defending the trophy.

He said: "The fact the draw for the next round had been made before we played at Pittodrie didn't have any bearing on the way we approached the game.

"You just want to get to a semi-final, then take it from there."

The same single-minded approach is being adopted in terms of the league race, even though, with Rangers involved in Uefa Cup duty in midweek then the CIS League Cup Final on Sunday, Celtic have the opportunity to climb back on top of the table.

Hartley said: "We won't look that far head. We have a difficult game on Wednesday against Dundee United at Parkhead, and that's all we're thinking about. The games are coming thick and fast, and we have to be ready for every one of them."