Aberdeen 2 - 0 Dundee

Well Earned Victory Over Dundee in Replay at Pittodrie.

NOW TO MEET CELTIC AT PARKHEAD.

Defeating Dundee by 2-0 at Pittodrie yesterday in the replay of their third round tie, Aberdeen have qualified to meet Celtic at Parkhead in the fourth stage on Saturday week.
The attendance and receipts at yesterday's match constituted a record for a mid-week game at Pittodrie.

It was a pulsating struggle which Aberdeen really won in the first half. Winning the toss they put themselves at the disadvantage of having to face a strong sun, and were fortunate not to be twice in arrears before they scored, but once they had found the net were never really In danger of defeat, and on the run play might have held more than a 2-0 lead the interval.
During the last twenty minutes of the game their attack eased up, and their defence was frequently in trouble, but there was no doubting that the ultimate score was a fair reflex.

How Play Went.

Right at the start Aberdeen forced a corner, and Marsh fisted clear only to have Love returning into goal. Again Marsh fisted out, but this time McDermid drove hard in, and a ball which would have had Marsh beaten was cleared from the goal line by Brown.
Aberdeen kept up terrific pressure, and Love sent a fierce shot across the goal, but there was no other Aberdeen foot there to connect.
The Dons were setting a great pace this stage, and Brown and Gilmour got a terrific gruelling. They weathered the storm, and on Dundee's first raid Aberdeen's goal was in danger, Smith saving a free kick by McNab.
The Dark Blues refused to be shaken off, and McNab, forcing the pace, sent in a tremendous drive from forty yards, the ball passing inches high of the home cross-bar. A miskick by Jackson led to another narrow escape for the Aberdeen goal. Gavigan centred, and Ritchie headed in for Smith to tip the ball against the crossbar, and he met it as it rebounded to push over the bar.

Yorston's Goal.

In ten minutes came a great goal for Aberdeen. McDermid worked the ball up and parted to Love. The winger centred, and Yorston dashed in between the backs to slam the ball into the net from six yards' range.
Subsequently the Aberdeen forwards overwhelmed the Dark Blues' defence, and Marsh was the busiest man on the field. Time and again his fists were in action, and once he had to run out to the corner flag to effect a clearance./br> The Dons continued to play a storm of a game, but they got a fright when, in a Dundee raid, Smith missed a centre by Gavigan, and just failed to connect.
There was another thrill for the crowd when Smith missed another of Gavigan's crosses, and the ball swerved behind.
Dundee kept swinging the ball about, and their tactics puzzled the home defence. McDermid rallied his forces, and there was a thrill when Yorston raced past Gilmour to hit the outside of the net.

One for Mclean.

Aberdeen were not playing with the confidence their supporters would have liked, the defence being shaky. Robertson on one occasion cleverly beat McLaren to loft over from good position.
Some of the fire had gone out of the game, but still the crowd were kept on edge.
With 28 minutes gone Aberdeen got a second goal. Brown failed to clear a pass from Dickie, and while Marsh wondered what do, McLean headed past him.
This second success put the big crowd in great good humour, and they cheered to the echo when Yorston brought Marsh to his knees. Obviously panic had seized the Dundee defence, and frequently they resorted to questionable tactics, several receiving a word from the referee.
The ball was seldom clear of the visitors' penalty area, and numerous shots were blocked. Towards the interval Dundee rallied again, and Smith had to hold a grounder from a free-kick by McNab. Apart from this there was little danger for the home goal. It was a fiercely contested period, with Aberdeen well deserving their lead of 2-0.

Aberdeen Keep It Up.

In the second half Aberdeen resumed with the same vigour as in the first. They immediately went out on attack, and after Dickie had lifted over, Marsh had to stop a warm one from Hill. The Dons kept it up, and Marsh was again in the limelight, having to flop on a fast grounder from Love.
Subsequently Gavigan brought Dundee's attack into view, and after Robertson had shot high. Smith had to hold a long-range effort from the visitors' inside left.

Dundee Fight Back.

McNab was up among his forwards effort to retrieve his side's fortunes, but Jackson and Falloon never flinched.
Yorston and McDermid were great forwards for Aberdeen. They inspired their team to attack, and in another avalanche Marsh fisted out, with McLean, Yorston, and McDermid all on top of him.
McLean developed liveliness on the left, and twice in close succession he went near with fierce left-foot drives. Yorston was irrepressible. He beat both the Dundee backs, to shower in another of his specials, but Marsh was ready for it.
There was plenty of fight left in Dundee, and they showed it when Ritchie had Smith fisting clear. In another attack McLaren blocked a great shot by Robertson.

Yorston Keeps It Going.

Yorston kept the fun going when he avoided several efforts to foul him, and just missed the goal. Dickie was hurt, but soon recovered, and the crowd got a laugh when the giant Marsh remonstrated with the diminutive Yorston.
There was a lengthy stoppage until McLaren was treated for an injury as the result of a bad foul.
As time wore on, Aberdeen took things easy in attack, but their defence had its anxious moments. Robertson, Troup, and Gavigan troubled the home defenders, but Dundee's trouble was that they had not a forward who could deliver a shot.
Towards the end Aberdeen came again, and Yorston, Love, McLean, and Dickie all had commendable tries. One got the impression that Aberdeen were then content with their 2-0 lead, and, as was proved, their tactics and policy in the closing stages were justified.

Best Players.

Although they had their times of anxiety, Aberdeen won easily enough. Dundee occasionally swung the ball about and puzzled the Pittodrie defence, but the latter was never rattled. An opportunist in the Dundee attack might have put a different aspect on the game, but as it was Dundee did not possess one. Smith was bothered by the sun in the first half, but brought off many fine saves. Jackson, Falloon, and McLaren were bulwarks in defence, and Hill and Black, especially the first-named, were great wing halves.
In a brilliant forward line Yorston, McDermid, and McLean were always in the limelight, but Love and Dickie were also effective.
Altogether Aberdeen had a fine all-round team. Dundee were better in defence than in attack, yet the former department let them down in the first period. Marsh was brilliant in goal, and Brown did well throughout, but Gilmour took too long to find his feet. McNab was just about the best all-round player on the field. Of the forwards, Robertson, Troup, and Gavigan in that order took the eye.

The number who paid for admission was 28,527, and the divisible gate was £1138, figures which easily beat the record for a mid-weekweek game at Pittodrie.

Source: Press & Journal, 19th February 1931

CUP-TIE FEVER IN ABERDEEN.

Aqueduct Workers at Match.

SUPPORTERS STORM TRAMS.

Aberdeen, in the grip of Cup-tie fever yesterday, staged unprecedented crowd scenes in Union Street and those thoroughfares leading to Pittodrie Park, the scene of the second meeting of Aberdeen and Dundee in the third round of the Scottish Cup.
The stream of people moving towards Pittodrie for two hours on foot, and by tram, 'bus, and motor car, held out hope of all attendance records being broken at Pittodrie Park, but the official figures, 28,527, while providing Aberdeen with its biggest mid-week football crowd, put yesterday's crowd as second best, 32,600 being the record established at the meeting of Aberdeen and the famous Glasgow Rangers a League encounter last season.
It was the arrival of all the special trains from north and south, one upon the other, coinciding with the last-minute rush of people from the office and workshop, that provided Aberdeen with its unprecedented football crowd scenes.

Unbroken Lines.

Half an hour before the kick-off there were unbroken lines of tramcars, 'buses, motor cars and taxi-cabs moving along Union Street and King Street, hemmed in with pedestrians.
The seething mass of humanity moved slowly. Pedestrians, in their eagerness to reach Pittodrie, paid little heed to the hooting of horns and the clanging of gongs.
Twenty-five special tramcars could not absorb the queues that stretched between Broad Street and St Nicholas Street, and when a taxicab broke down on the tram lines many abandoned hope of retting conveyance to Pittodrie and set out on foot.
Things were moving much too slowly for some Dundonians, and they stormed the trams, climbing over the rails at the rear.

Turnstile Queues.

At the turnstiles queues, the length of Merkland Road East, formed half-an-hour before the kick-off and as the hour of battle drew near there was doubt in the minds of many in the queues if Pittodrie Park could absorb all who clamoured for admission.
But the ground was equal to all demands, and although the stand signalled the "full-up " some time before the kick-off, the terracing was able to accommodate all the crowd.
When the final whistle went, with Aberdeen victorious and Pittodrie Park giving up its cheering thousands, King Street and Union Street again became seething thoroughfares.

Melted Away.

Slowly the crowds melted away, and Aberdeen, with its appetite for Cup-tie football satisfied for the nonce, resumed its normal ways.
In the evening the Dundonians went home in their special trains, and if they were disappointed over the defeat of their team they did not show their disappointment at Aberdeen. They left in the best of spirits, singing loudly.
The Aberdeen branch of the Limbless ex-Service Men's Association yesterday returned the compliment paid to their members at Dundee on Saturday when they went south to see Aberdeen play Dundee. They entertained their comrades from Dundee to an entertaining cup of tea when they arrived in Aberdeen, and also hospitably entertained them before they left.
Mr. J. Adamson, himself an old Dundee footballer, returned thanks for the hospitality received.

Aqueduct Workers.

Workmen engaged on the repair of the Aberdeen aqueduct, in the employment of William Tawse, Ltd saw the match at Pittodrie without penalty of dismissal after all.
Some of them wanted to go to Dundee last Saturday, but were told that if they absented themselves from the job they would be dismissed.
At the same time their overseer gave qualified promise that a certain number might get off to see the match at Pittodrie in the event of a replay.

Promise Honoured.

When this was explained to Mr Tawse he decided that the promise should be honoured, although he expressed astonishment that men who were on unemployment relief work should be so ready to sacrifice half a day's wages besides paying for admission to Pittodrie - between 5s and 6s - in order to watch a football match.

Source: Press & Journal, 19th February 1931