St. Mirren 4 - 1 Aberdeen

Heaviest Fall of Season to St Mirren at Paisley

IT seems almost certain now that Rangers will win the championship of "A" Division. They have a lead of five points over Celtic, who have played a match more, while they have an advantage of six points over the Dons for the same number of games played. Only total collapse on the part of Rangers - and that is very unlike ? can prevent them from winning the honour.

For a long period Aberdeen offered a stout challenge. In fact for some time the Dons were actually leaders. Now, however, Aberdeen are toppling, losing ground, chiefly because of their failure to win matches from which they should have had no difficulty in taking full points.
It is significant that it was against teams much more lowly placed than themselves that the Dons failed. Just think of it. In away encounters this season, Aberdeen have drawn with such teams as Celtic, Hibs, and Thistle, yet on the other hand thev have been defeated by Queen the South, Third Lanark and St Mirren. In addition, their only set-back at home was when they were beaten by Clyde, who were at the bottom the League at the time.

Forward Failings

The fault does not lie with the defence. The Dons, notwithstanding their lapses, have the best defensive record of all the teams, including the Rangers.
The defence certainly made mistakes on Saturday, but it cannot always carry the team through to victory. The attack is weak. The inside men are not getting the goals they should, and it is in this division that there is need for great improvement.
At Paisley on Saturday, when the Dons were beaten 4-1 - it was their biggest defeat of the season and the first time they had lost more than three goals in a match - the team played grand football but lacked punch and finish in attack.
The half-backs - even Cooper - must have been very discouraged by the response from the forwards. Time and time again movements were cleverly engineered, but the attack nearly always broke down by absolutely erratic passing, while the finishing was atrocious.
The Dons should have had a substantial lead before Saints opened their account.
The Saints were just as poor a team as Aberdeen have encountered this season, and this reflects very discreditably on the Dons.
It was misjudgment on the part Henderson in goal which accounted for the loss of the first goal. The second score by St Mirren came from a penalty. The third goal might have been prevented, and it was hesitancy in the rear which lost the fourth goal.

Source: Press & Journal, 10th December 1945