Aberdeen 0 - 0 Dundee

Some 24,000 spectators at Pittodrie Park, Aberdeen, saw a closely contested New Year's Day match between Aberdeen and Dundee, and they admitted that the goalless draw did justice to both sides. Dundee commenced strongly, and Blackwell was called on five times to save his charge within the first three minutes. Fotheringham, the Dundee custodian, had also to be active before the close of the match. In fact it was the narrow escapes of both goals which proved the greatest attraction of the match. Connon, tried a centre forward, was too well watched by Dundee for him to make anything of Smith?s fine passes from the left wing. In the Dundee attack the outstanding players were Halliday and Macdonald.

Source: The Scotsman, 2nd January 1923

NORTHERN RIVALS FINISH LEVEL. GOAL FAMINE AT PITTODRIE.

Honours were even at Pittodrie, where the return Scottish League game between Aberdeen and Dundee resulted in a goal-less draw. There were 25,000 spectators, including many from country districts, and about 800 supporters of the visiting team, who travelled from Dundee.
The frozen and slippery state of the ground militated against good play, and although it was always hard, and, for the players, an exacting game, the uncertainty of the footing retarded physical enterprise and interfered with accuracy. Repeatedly it was demonstrated that the player in possession held the advantage over the tackler, who had little chance to recover when beaten, and that there was no scoring was under the circumstances a tribute to the respective defences.
The result did justice to both teams. Certainly the visitors were smarter on the ball and attained a greater degree accuracy in the few attempts at combination that were sustained, but reviewing the actual incidents of the game, and comparing the escapes which both goals experienced, a draw was a fitting result.
With what could only be described as an experimental team, Dundee did well to take a point. In defence they had Ross, a player who opened the season at outside right, operating at right back, and he was a big success. In the attack, McDonald, hitherto regarded as inside forward, made a very effective appearance at outside left.
If they did not play badly, Aberdeen quite failed to reproduce anything like the form displayed against Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday, but, whereas the ground then was soft, the conditions yesterday were entirely different, and it became a matter of team adaptation.

FEW SPECTACULAR TOUCHES.

If there was not great deal that was specular about the game, it was not without its thrills, and was fought with all the dourness and display of spoiling tactics invariably associated with the fixture. Each side in turn enjoyed periods of attacking supremacy, and while each goal had narrow escapes that uncertain quantity known as "the luck of the game' was very evenly distributed. [In] A hard fought contest, in which the deliberate foul was seldom in evidence, there were few irritating and unnecessary stoppages, and only once was the trainers assistance required on the field, and that was when, in a scrimmage near the close, Nicoll, the Dundee centre half, was temporarily disabled in a collision of heads.

EXCITING PASSAGES.

The display of the home team as a whole was streaky, the players never seemed to be comfortable on the hard surface. Blackwell in goal had a few clever saves, but would have blundered had he been beaten with any of the balls he had to handle. Once he may have been fortunate when a, ball from Knox hit the upright, but the keeper looked to be saving the shot in any case. He had greater good luck on another occasion when out of his goal he deflected a ball from the left, and it was shot in before he could get back. It was opportune for his side that Forsyth should have been below cross-bar to head clear. These slices of good fortune were counterbalanced by equally fortunate happenings at the Dundee goal. Once a header from Rankine appeared to be getting home when Fotheringham scraped the ball round the upright. At another time a splendid shot by Robertson was finely saved by the Dundee keeper in an awkward position low down near the upright, and in the closing stages, Aberdeen made several desperate rallies, Middleton with half the breadth of the goal to aim at, headed wide, of a fisted clearance by Fotheringham. In addition to this, Aimer on one occasion headed a ball over the bar when it seemed that Fotheringham would be beaten. Summarised, these were the spicy incidents of the game, but other features that sustained interest and raised hopes and fears were the vigorous thrusts and dashing raids of Halliday for Dundee, the defence-harassing tactics of Connon, and the occasional individual brilliance of Smith for Aberdeen.

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS

As the game went, it lent itself more to Individualism than combination, the latter never being allowed to develop by restless defenders, who, if they did not always get the ball, caused consequent inaccuracy. Forsyth was the cleverer Aberdeen back, but both got through their work well. Robertson was the most methodical halfback. Of the forwards, Connon and Smith were best, but the line never combined well.
The two saves referred to constituted Fotheringham's most difficult work, and the only error he made was when he fisted the ball on to Middleton's head from Robertson's free kick. Ross was quite a safe back, although he will have to strengthen his returns. Nicol was the best of the middle division, and in the attack the Halliday and McDonald were out on their own, the latter being the most dangerous forward on the field.
The previous meeting of the teams at Dens Park resulted in a draw of 1 ?1, so that the four points at stake between the great northern rivals this season have been divided.

Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal 2nd January 1923