St. Mirren 3 - 1 Aberdeen

WHEN Pearson, Glen and Kelly ripped open the St Mirren defence with a delightful inter-passing movement twenty minutes after tthe start of Saturday's game at Paisley, it really looked as if the Dons would go places.

Last'season's nightmare experience was beginning to be but a memory when Aberdeen were dealt a blow.
Within a minute Hamilton and Glen, the two inside forwards were put out of conimission. Hamilton tried to resume in the second half, but after hobbling about on the touchline he went off for good, and is certain to miss the next few matches as a result of a badly-swollen ankle.
Glen suffered from slight cussion after going down in a clash with Telfer, and there was never any prospect of the inside left coming back. He felt better after the game, but it is too early to say whether he will be sufficiently recovered to take his place in the line-up against Celtic.
During the short time he was on the field the former Annbank lad showed up well, apart from one badly-directed shot when he ran onto a pass from Kelly.
There can be nothing but praise for the manner in which the nine remaining Aberdeen plaveres faced up to their task. Three minutes after the injury hoodoo sruck they were a goal behind, but fought tenaciously to level the score nine minutes later.

Not Impressive

St Mirren snatched another goal before half-time, but with the wind behind them the Paisley team was not particularly impressive in the second half. They had, quite naturally, a distinct territorial advantage, but it took them another thirty-nine minutes to put the issue beyond doubt.
Aberdeen didn't often get within reach of Kirk in the second half, but even so there were one or two near things. Man for man the Dons compared favourably with their opponents, and had they remained at full strength it looked as if the game would have swung in their favour.
Ralph McKenzie who was introduced at centre half, had a shaky opening, but came to a strong game, and was almost as effective as Telfer, who was the strong man of the St Mirren defence in more ways than one.
Curran should have prevented the third goal, but was otherwise sound. He was generally well protected by Emery and McKenna, whe made good use of the offside trap to stop the speedy St Mirren wingers.
The fact that Davie and Deakin were seldom seen to advantage is a tribute to Aberdeen's wing half backs. Neither Anderson nor Harris was spectacular, but their tackling was good.

Individual Effort

Until Hamilton and Glen went off, the Dons' attack looked like like ssettling down to some effective play, but later it was a case of individual effort. Kelly, willing as ever, chased everything and was rewarded with a goal when he trapped a McKenzie free kick and rounded Telfer before scoring.
Rice and Pearson spent most of the second half lending a hand in defence and did a lot of valuable work. Rice several times took the ball almost the length of the field before numerical superiority got the better of him.
Altogether it was a tragic day for the Dons, but if they continue to play with the same spirit, there is little fear of last season's unfortunate experiences being repeated.
Lesz, the Polish winger, scored the first goal for St Mirren with an angular shot which passed between Curran and the post as the 'keeper stepped out in anticipation of the ball being cut back. Crow put Deakin through for a second close on half-time.
The third goal was delayed until six minutes from time. Curran did not get properly behind another express from Lesz, and the bai spun off his shoulder to Burrell who tapoed it over the line.

Source: Press & Journal, 15th August 1949