Falkirk 1 - 3 Aberdeen

FALKIRK ATTACK IN VICE-LIKE GRIP AND ABERDEEN GET THE BREAKS

Fifteen minutes to go, Falkirk 1. Aberdeen 1. Hamilton, Dons' inside-right, gathers the ball during Falkirk attack, carries it upfield, draws the defence and attempts to pass out to Warnock.
McKie and Nisbet see the danger simultaneously. The 'keeper rushes from his charge and the back cuts across. Nisbet gets there before Warnock and attempts a mighty clearance. The winger keeps on running and literally runs into the ball. It strikes him on the chest, bounces high over the 'keeper's head and drops into the untenanted goal.

VICTORY MADE SURE

That was how the Dons beat Falkirk at Brockville on Saturday. One minute later Biggs and Strauss between them wrecked the home defence and Pattillo shot a grand third goal from the South African's pass. This counter served to make the issue secure.
Falkirk will no doubt consider themselves unlucky. Certainly there was an element of luck about the second goal. Falkirk held the advantage territorially, but their attack could find weakness in a granite-like Aberdeen defence.
The Dons never lost their poise. Their attack was not so speedy nor direct as the home line, but they were more methodical, more skilful and more dangerous-looking. In short, Aberdeen were the better football team.
The secret of Aberdeen's success lay in the fact that they realised that the greatest danger would come from Dawson and Carruthers, the Falkirk extreme wing men. With this pair held in check much of the sting was drawn from the opposing attack.

NISBET FAULT

Both teams scored in the first half. The Dons went ahead after twenty-five minutes' play. It was a simple goal. Nisbet failed to intercept a through pass from Hamilton to Strauss. The winger gathered the ball and when McKie left his charge coolly sent into the empty goal.
Falkirk got on level terms ten minutes from the interval. Keyes made ground on the right and released a hard oblique shot. Johnstone, at full stretch, stopped but could not hold the ball, and Huskie nipped in to score.
The Aberdeen defence never before this season played more confidently or more soundly than they did at Brockville. Johnstone was a first class 'keeper. His best effort on Saturday was the punching over of a terrific drive by Dawson.

COWIE'S OLD RIVAL

Cowie generally had the measure of the Falkirk left-winger. This pair are old rivals having been in opposition in Highland League football. There were many teethy duels between them on Saturday. Adey faced a lively opponent in Carruthers, but emerged successfully from the test.
There was not a weak link in Aberdeen's half-back line. In Nicholson they had the outstanding player afield. The centre-half was Falkirk's Public Enemy No. 1. He kept a tight grip of Stewart and smashed all advances down the middle.
Thomson, at left-half, combined soundness in defence with strong forcing work in attack, and Dunlop, on the other flank, was little behind.
It was not until the second half that the forwards found their feet on the frostbound pitch. Hamilton was the best of the line. His ability to turn defence into attack was invaluable. Biggs, too, worked hard, but was inclined to hang on to the ball a trifle too long at times.

PATTILLO'S RECORD

Pattillo, the reserve centre, is improving his game as he gains in experience. He scored again on Saturday - his seventh goal in four games. Strauss was more lively than he has been for some time. He did not make the mistake of holding the ball but parted quickly. Against the robust Peat. Warnock was seldom prominent.
Falkirk's defence adopted first-time tactics. McKie was too prone to leave his goal. Peat was the more successful back, Shankly and Bolt were best at half-back, while in attack, Keyes and Carruthers were the only two who impressed.

Source: Press & Journal, 16th January 1939

The muddy and icy grounds of recent weeks have brought the best out of the Dons, who have lost but one of their last nine games, and thus forged ahead to second place in the League table. They culminated their recent run of success with an unexpected but deserved win over the strong-going Falkirk at Brockville last week. Although the Dons did not have the greater share of play, they excelled Falkirk in teamwork. The "breaks" were against the home side, but the Pittodrie machine ran smoothly as compared with the labouring of Falkirk. Aberdeen took the lead when Strauss anticipated a pass-back to McKie, but Huskie equalised. Twelve minutes from the end a clearance hit Warnock in the face and rebounded into the net. The Dons struck home their advantage when Pattillo shot a great goal from 15 yards.

Source: Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial, 19th January 1939