Aberdeen 4 - 5 Celtic

'Keepers Blunder in Flurry of Scoring at Pittodrie

GOALS were cheap at Pittodrie last night, and they came with such a rush at the start lhat they had the 40,000 crowd in a welter of excitement.

There were five counters in the first sixteen minutes, and they were the direct result of the most astonishing series of goalkeeping blunders ever seen at Pittodrie.
Curran and Miller - who is not an internationalist on last night's form - were equally guilty. Both steadied up later, but the four other goals came at fairly regular intervals with none of them particularly good.
Twice Celtic lost the lead they secured in that first exciting stanza, but they came again near the finish to snatch their second successive victory by the odd goal.
Celts' bold policy of blooding two of last season's junior wingers again bore fruit, as Haughney and Collins accounted for four of their goals.
Haughney had a most remarkable hat-trick, for he was never brought directly into the game in the opening twenty minutes, but had chalked up three goals in that period.
Without being a great team, Celtic just deserved their victory. Their combined play was better than Aberdeen's, and they made intelligent use of the open space. Evans and McPhail were particularly effective in this respect, and McPhail was the most dangerous forward on the field.
The fact there were nine goals is an indictment against the defenders. McKenna had his hands full with little Collins, but was one of Aberdeen's soundest players.

Mistaken Policy

Emery hadn't a bad game and could not be held responsible tor Haughney's scoring feat. It was mistaken policy on Aberdeen's part to entrust every free kick from a vicinity of forty yards of goal to the big Welshman, and after his first lucky effort he never got near the target.
The Dons' half backs were triers all. McKenzie never gave up against the elusive Johnstone, and although Anderson and Waddell toiled all the time they didn't measure up to Evans, whose constructive play stood out.
Aberdeen lacked a forager like McPhail in attack, and their main assets were Rice and Kelly, although the latter had a sturdy opponent in Boden. Yorston was seen in spasmodic flashes, but the left-wing partnership of Harris and Pearson was not a happy one.
Forty seconds after the start a great roar went up. Baillie fouled Rice and to the surprise of the huge crowd Miller allowed the "free" to slip through his legs.
Before three minutes had gone a long ball down the middle from McPhail was allowed to run to Curran. He appeared to have plenty of time to pick the ball up, but he elected to kick it and it struck Haughney, who had only to run on and tap it home.
In six minutes Yorston seized on a forward pass from Rice and ran on to put the ball between Miller and the post. Four minutes later, and Celtic were level again. McPhail took the ball to the bye-line and when he cut it back Curran missed it. Haughney was there, and although Emery valiantly blocked the winger's first shot he was helpless with the second.

Interval Lead

Six minutes later, Anderson essayed a pass back. Curran appeared to be slow in leaving his charge, and once again Haughney was able to score. There might have been another goal later, but Emery kicked off the line following a Collins corner.
Celts went in with a 3-2 interval lead, but this lasted only five minutes. A cross from Rice was headed down by McGuire, and Kelly nipped in to find the net.
Aberdeen's goal had a let-off when Collins dallied with an open target before him, but the little winger made amends in nineteen minutes. McPhail beat Waddell cleverly just inside the half-way mark, and sent Collins away for the former Pollok winger to cut in and beat Curran.
There seemed a touch of luck about Harris's equalising goal in thirty-one minutes. He shot from a crowd of players and, with Miller apparently unsighted, the ball trickled in near the post.
McPhail's winning goal had a suspicion of offside about it. He ran on to a pass from Leslie Johnstone and, as Curran came out, the big Celt turned the ball past him into the net.

Source: Press & Journal, 18th August 1949