saskatchewan soccer association memento

In the summer of 1956, after a long hard domestic season in which Aberdeen battled their way to runners' up spot in the League and scored more goals than they had done in their 1954-55 League Title winning season, the Dons set off on a lengthy tour of North America. In fact it turned into a Canadian tour as the match scheduled to be played in New York against Everton had to be cancelled due to torrential rain.

The programme was set up to see the Aberdeen men playing nine matches in 21 days, four of them against Everton. The other games were to be against select teams from five of Canada's far flung provinces. Despite the extensive travel demands on the players, most of the games against Canadian opposition turned out to be high scoring. Not least the match at Taylor Field, Regine, Saskatchewan against the Saskatchewan Selects. No less than 17 goals were pumped into the Saskatchewan nett by the Dons, 4 of them by Graham Leggat, 4 more by Harry Yorston, and a hat-trick by Johnny Allan. Saskatchewan did not manage a single goals and manager David Shaw afterwards put the difference in the teams down to fitness, with the locals tiring very quickly after they tried to match the Aberdeen players for pace.

As with all of their visits around that vast country, the Dons were right royally entertained and after this game the Saskatchewan Soccer Association presented them with the memento shown here. A stylish 1950's piece that remains on show in the Pittodrie Boardroom to this day.