Aberdeen 2 - 0 Dundee

Dundee Fall Away After Dons' Score.

The meeting of Aberdeen and Dundee at Pittodrie on Saturday will not go down in history as one of the greatest Cup duels between the great northern rivals. The game was always Interesting. Both sets of players showed unbounded energy, but the thrills and excitement usually associated with a cup meeting between the inter-city rivals was rarely in evidence. The teams were evenly matched, but the Dons had a slight pull forward, and to this can be attributed their victory. The tie was won and lost in a hectic three minutes shortly after the start of the second half. Thomson, the Aberdeen left half, blasted Dundee's hopes when he crashed home a free kick from twenty yards seven minutes after the resumption.

Two Up.

Before the Dark Blues had time recover from this nerve-shattering blow Beynon had accepted a slip from Mills to lash the ball into the corner of the net with his right foot. Up to the scoring of the first goal Dundee had the better of the exchanges. There was more method and understanding in the play of their half-backs and forwards, but - and here lies the explanation for their defeat - their attackers could not finish. The Dons never settled down in the first period, although it must be admitted that they looked the likelier lot. After the scoring of the first goal they were a different team. There was more swing and rhythm about their play, and as they improved so did Dundee deteriorate. The Dundee halves lost their grip of the Aberdeen forwards, and it was only the never-say-die spirit of Morgan and Gilmour that kept the homesters from increasing their lead.

Great Aberdeen Defence.

The Aberdeen defence came out the game with enhanced reputations. Smith in goal had many anxious moments, but he was seldom seriously tested. Cooper, McGill, and Falloon worked with rare harmony. The first named was the star defender on the field. He timed his tackles nicely and his clearances were well-judged and not the hit-the-ball-away-at-any-cost type. McGill took some little time to settle down, but once he had found his feet he more than held his own with the Dundee right wing. Falloon never travelled over the centre line, but his policing of the centre of the field had much to do with the ineffectiveness of the Dark Blues' attack. Fraser and Thomson had a poor first half - nothing seemed to go right for them. But their second half display was a big improvement. They worked hard in defence, and were not altogether neglectful of their forwards. Thomson was slightly ahead of his team-mate. The Aberdeen attack took a long time to settle down - in fact too long - but they appeared more dangerous than they have done in recent weeks.

Love Justifies Inclusion.

Love on the right fully justified his inclusion. He was a fast and dangerous raider and he was unfortunate not to count when he struck the upright after he and Moore had worked through in the first half. Warnock was a hard-working inside forward, and he was ever ready to have a "go" at goal. Moore showed more "pep" than has been the case in recent weeks, and his distribution of the ball was of a high standard. Mills never settled to his usual game, and was the poorest of the quintette. Benyon on the left wing was quite good, but it was again noticeable that he was prone to bring the ball across to his right foot. One can have nothing but praise for the Dundee defence. They battled courageously all through the piece. Marsh in goal did not appear too confident, although it must be admitted that had no chance with the shots that beat him. Morgan was the better of the two backs, and vied with Cooper for the honour of being the best defender afield. Gilmour, too, however, played his part.

Dundee's Halves.</p. The Dundee halves played nice football in the first period, but as already mentioned they lost their grip after the interval. Symon was probably the best of the trio. In an attack which played well in the outfield but could not finish, Kirby took the honours - a fast and dangerous raider this. Rankine was tricky, but like the others lacked penetration. Murdoch and Lee got little rope from Thomson and McGill, and Mackay, a dashing leader, rarely got the better of Falloon.

Source: Press & Journal, 5th February 1934

Note: prior to the match, the press had predicted that a new ground attendance record could be set at this match and that the 40,000 capacity of the ground might be pushed. They did, however, cover themselves that the numbers would depend on the weather. In the end the attendance, while healthy, fell well short of forecasts but we don't know if the climactic conditions had an influence on this. AFCHT