Aberdeen 3 - 1 Heart of Midlothian

Yet once more the Hearts' leaves have been shattered before the mellowing year. The Scottish Cup lost its interest for Edinburgh when an Aberdeen team, in blue jerseys, revealing the form that made them so popular not so long ago, beat the Hearts, I maroon and white hoops, at their own game before an all-ticket crowd of 42,000. Judging by the look of the ground they might have made it 45,000.
It was quite a clean game, bit in case any perfervid Dons' supporter may have got that one tackle for which Parker was pulled up made the Hearts out to be the sinners, it may be of interest to mention that while Aberdeen were awarded eight free kicks, the Hearts had exactly twice that number, eight in each half. But let that "flea stick to the wa'" and let us now praise famous men.
I cannot recall how much money crossed the Border when Pearson went to Aberdeen, but he repaid it in full on Saturday, when he played probably his best game ever at Pittodrie. Left with ample space to manoeuvre in. he had almost literally a field day. When he got Aberdeen's second goal the ball came out to him on the wing, and so far from him were the Hearts' defence that they might as well have been at Tynecastle. With an acre or so to romp in and plenty of time, he ran in on Brown and sent an unsaveable shot past the keeper high into the corner of the net.
The game had started off with what might have been a grievous blow for Aberdeen. McKenna, trying to collect a Flavell cross with his right foot, reached barely far enough back; the ball struck his boot and was lofted over the head of Watson, whose face was a study as he watched the ball soar over his head into the empty goal. Had he been a yard nearer McKenna or a yard nearer his goal he could have caught the ball.
McKenna stood for a moment hanging his head in such abject dejection that one almost expected him to take up a handful of earth and pour it over himself. However, inside a minute the left back was able to face his team mates, even with a smile.
From the restart the Dons swept down on the Hearts goal, the ball going out to Pearson. His cross hit the far upright, and a scramble ensued on the goal line. Eventually McKenzie Handled the ball and Emery came up to take the penalty kick. The right back, whose kicking, if not his tackling, was in the tradition, almost, of the famous Jock Hutton sent in a ball which only the strength of the net stopped from going outside the ground at the sea end. If McKenna had performed a little jig of joy no one would have begrudged him such expression of relief.

The match now settled down again on an even keel, but where was the famous football of the Hearts? Conn was obviously not really fit; the aggressive Aberdeen halves gave him and Wardhaugh little scope, and McKenzie, the Aberdeen centre-half, policed Bauld effectively, though never wholly mastering him.
Flavell was the most successful Hearts forward, and in the second half, after a delightful run by him and Bauld, which cut the Aberdeen defence wide open, he scored a goal similar to Pearson's earlier effort. However, the referee disallowed the goal, for what reason was not apparent to the writer, but if it was for offside, then it must have been by a few sixteenths of an inch.
That was a cruel blow for the Hearts, who had been threatening to break into some of their real running, but to their credit they made no protest. A few minutes later something of a misunderstanding in the Hearts' goal area saw Hamilton help over the line a ball which was already on its way there from Baird. Hearts kept on trying, but their day was done.
Aberdeen had the wind and a strong low sun in their favour in the first half, but soon after half-time the sun played the visitors the scurvy trick of sinking below the roofing at the Merkland Road end of the ground, thus definitely giving an advantage to Aberdeen. However, as the sun does not appear to have been shining anywhere else on Saturday, who could blame it for favouring the Dons?
Brown had many excellent saves, although from what could be seen of the western goal from the press box he may have been a little at fault with the third goal, and Watson just before the interval saved a certain scorer from Conn. Baird had an excellent game for Aberdeen, revealing some of the master touches which rip open the opposing defence, and he, Hamilton, and Pearson were the schemers-in-chief who brought their side's victory.
Currie, deputising for the injured Cox, was no match for those three, and Parker was given a busy afternoon. Conn latterly went on the wing, but it appeared that he should not have been played. Yorston missed a grand chance to score and so did Wardhaugh. Had it not been for the steadiness of Dougan, this Aberdeen team might easily have run riot. No team will wish to be drawn at Pittodrie in the next round.

Source: The Scotsman, 13th February 1950

Repeat of 1947 Cup Triumph Becomes Possibility
PEARSON PRE-EMINENT

SIX weeks ago even the most ardent Aberdeen F.C. supporter would have thought twice about betting on the Dons' Scottish Cup chances. Now the scene has changed, and a repeat of the memorable 1947 triumph is being visualised.

Many of the 42,000 crowd at Pittodrie on Saturday went to watch Hearts, the most-talked-of team in Scotland. They came away singing the praises of an Aberdeen side which showed once again that they have regained their fighting spirit.
It was a sickening blow to see McKenna slice the ball into his own goal within seven minutes. That would have finished many teams, but not the present Pittodrie outfit. They had regained equality within a minute, and from then on it was the home team who called the tune. Hearts' much-vaunted attack was seen only in spasms, and even then their approach work was no better than the Dons'.
When the draw for the third round is made to-day six lucky clubs will get a bye into round four. It remains to be seen whether Aberdeen will be one of the lucky ones, but, in any case, the mood of the team and supporters at the moment is " Let them all come!"
In such a team of wholehearted triers it is perhaps unfair to pick out individual players for special mention, but it is impossible to forget the dour defensive work of McKenzie, the thrust of Harris or the artistry of Tommy Pearson.
This game might well go down in the record books as Pearson's match. His cantrips on the left touchline were a never-ending headache for Currie and Parker. Apart from scoring a grand goal himself he had a share in the others.
Next to Pearson the man who gave Hearts most trouble was George Hamilton. He was against talented opponent in Dougan, but was a more impressive centre than Willie Bauld.

LAST STRAW

Any chance that Hearts had of holding the Dons appeared to go when Conn, who had been in the hands of the trainer all week, broke down and changed places with Sloan.
After that there was little cohesion about Hearts' attack, except for the Bauld-Flavell movement which finished with the ball in the net and the point being chalked off for offside. Wardhaugh's dribbling was stopped at its source by Anderson's first-time tackling, and Emery and McKenna finished on a strong note after having trouble with the wingers early on.
While Dougan was Hearts' best player, Brown, in goal, and Laing, at left half, deserve credit for their wholehearted fight.
Laing, in particular, did everything possible to get things running for his side in the second half, but Aberdeen's defence just would not yield.
It was a tragic moment for Aberdeen when an innocent-looking ball dropped into the penalty area was intercepted by McKenna after seven minutes' play. The ball sliced off his foot over Watson's upflung hands into the net.
The home supporters' despair turned to joy within a minute. The ball was switched out to Pearson, and a cross to the far side of the goal came off the post and was handled by McKenzie in the melee. Don Emery was apparently not worried by the fact that he had missed a penalty kick the previous week and blasted the ball home.

FINE SAVES

Brown stood between Aberdeen and more goals. He had great saves from Yorston and Baird, but stood no chance when the Dons went ahead in twenty-one minutes.
A long free kick Emery started it. A cluster of players went up for the ball, which dropped into the open space in front of Pearson. The Dons' left winger took a couple of paces forward and whipped in a fierce cross shot.
Hearts were far from beaten at this stage, but their forwards could not finish off slick- outfield play.
Conn and Wardhaugh did have shots confidently fielded by Watson, and at the other end a miracle save by Brown kept Yorston's header from entering the net.
The Edinburgh team made their big effort after half-time and there was a howl of joy from their supporters when Flavell cracked the ball home after a neat interpassing movement with Bauld. The effort was in vain, and a linesman's signal for offside gave Aberdeen a reprieve.
Two minutes after this came the decisive goal. Again Pearson was the instigator. Another cross to the far post saw Hamilton rise above Brown's clutching hands and head the ball downwards. Despite a frantic effort by a defender it rolled into the net.

Source: Press & Journal, 13th February 1950