Aberdeen 0 - 1 Heart of Midlothian

Despite wretched weather conditions, 9000 spectators were at Pittodrie, Aberdeen, for this return game, and these were kept in a high state of excitement from first to last. There was nothing between the sides in the early stages, for if the Hearts showed the more solid attack, and were often in Greig's vicinity. Aberdeen flashed out attacks which always held danger. Gradually the Hearts built up a strong game, forwards and half-backs playing stylish football, and under the weight of this the Aberdeen defence became shaky, and a goal for the Hearts seemed only a matter of time. In this pressure, Wattie was a prime factor, so much so that both Low and Wilson dashed in to tackle him. With an elusive swerve and Turn, Wattie cleared both his opponents, who went down together, and Wilson's knee-cap snapped, and he had to be taken to the Infirmary, suffering from a compound fracture. Low was also hurt, but resumed after a time, and played at outside left. The accident unnerved the Hearts, who till half time never really picked up their earlier form; while Aberdeen, combining a liberal use of the off-side rule with football of a forcible nature, gave a wonderfully good account of themselves. Half-time found the sides goalless, and the same tale continued for a long time in the second. Indeed, in the matter of attack Aberdeen were in front, but the extra exertions began to tell, and the Hearts had built up the goal which Currie scored from a pass from Low some time before it was got. After that play seldom left the Aberdeen area, but no other score was recorded. It was a hard-won victory, caused mainly by the accident, which unnerved the one side and spurred on the other. Result:- Hearts, 1 goal; Aberdeen, 0.

Source: The Scotsman: 12th January 1914

SNAP VICTORY FOR HEARTS

Vile conditions prevailed at Pittodrie on Saturday, when hearts defeated Aberdeen under Scottish League auspices by the only goal of the day. Heavy rain had fallen over night and during the afternoon, and, although there was an abatement while the first half of the game proceeded, the closing period was fought in a perfect downpour. The ground it naturally was heavy and against fast and accurate play, and by the close of a strenuous game the players were well done-up. Although the points when two hearts, the owners of the game clearly rested with Aberdeen, who threw out had to struggle against adversity in the form of injuries to players but seldom falls to the lot of any team.

ACCIDENT TO WILSON

The crowning misfortune was a painful accident to George Wilson, the versatile and clever half-back, who sustained a fractured knee-capped as the result of a collision with his club-mate Low. Wilson had to be removed to the infirmary, and he will not play again this season. Low also was injured in the collision, and after being off for 10 minutes he resumed and went outside left, but was practically a non-combatant. This unfortunate accident occurred after 30 minutes had gone, and there had been little between two well-matched sides. They were, however, not the only handicaps under which Aberdeen had to labour, is just after Low and Wilson had been removed to the pavilion, Scorgie received a severe knock which affected his subsequent play, while in the second half Wyllie was hurt, and the fact told also in his case to the disadvantage of his side.

BRITISH PLUCK

In the face of such misfortunes Aberdeen might well have been excused that they cracked up against the side with a flattering record possessed by the Hearts. On the contrary, however, the adversity seemed to spur the side on to even greater effort, and in the closing stages of the first half the specially, minus two men and with Scorgie lame, and Travers and Walker doing duty as half-backs, and with an apologetic forward line of three, they showed Spartan courage and right up to the finish gave a display of pluck and determination worthy of the best traditions of British sport. That they had ultimately to bow than E was due to a snap and rather lucky goal which fell to the Hearts in the last 10 minutes. Low, the Hearts' right winger, sent over a well-timed cross, and Currie, lying close in, gave Greig no chance to save. The loss of the goal was only in keeping with a truly wretched luck that had dogged Aberdeen earlier in the game. Shorthanded as they were, except for brief periods they were quite the equals of the visitors, and the most equitable result that probably could have been obtained would have been a goal-less draw. The game will not soon be left out of the recollection of those who saw it, and the pluck and grit shown by the Aberdeen side throughout in the face of grade once was deserving of all praise.

SPECTATORS THRILLED

The play brought out all the doggedness and brilliance of the Aberdeen defence such as it was reduced to and afforded an eloquent example of the "never-say-die" spirit which since the days of old has ever been associated with British sport. The pluck of the local side thrilled the spectators, there could not have been one of the 10,000 spectators who filed into the ground after the match who had anything but admiration to express their magnificent fight. The victory will do the Hearts' side more good than the defeat will do the Pittodrie side harm; yet if ever a team had to grudge the surrendering of the maximum of points, it was Aberdeen in their latest but most unlucky venture. To keep a side of the calibre of Hearts at bay for two-thirds of the game with a valuable player off and other two lamed and was in itself a great performance of Aberdeen, but when it is considered that in that period they were quite the equals of the opposition and often had the latter's defence bewildered, they are the more worthy of sympathy in their defeat, but the gods of war were not with them.
Play was fast from the start, but none too accurate, as the result of the sudden nature of the ground. Hearts' Low brushed past Hannah an swept in a brilliant centre, which Greig failed to reach, but he successfully covered Currie's vision, and the latter's shot went against the side net. Aberdeen were immediately at the other end, where Travers missed a splendid chance of putting his side on the lead from Soye's cross. Lou showed brilliant touches on the Hearts' right, and from a centre by him, Dawson shot into Greig's hands. The visitors centre, receiving in midfield, executed a brilliant dribble, but Colman intercepted him while in the act of shooting. The Hearts shaped dangerously for Aberdeen for some time, and the goal had a narrow escape from a cross by Currie, the ball rolling narrowly behind. Aberdeen's soon recovered, and, after Allan had saved from Soye, Walker sent behind. Dawson carried through another clever dribble for Hearts, but, left with good scoring position, he passed out to Low, the ball ultimately going behind. An end-to-end struggle was at its height when Aberdeen's first and greatest misfortune occurred. In the centre of the field Wilson and Low both went to tackle Wattie. The Heart, however, cleverly included both, with the result that the club-mates collided, and fell over each other, with Wilson below. Dr. Ellis Milne, the club doctor, was soon on the scene, and diagnosed Wilson's injury, and had him removed to the Infirmary, while low was assisted to the pavilion. In the succeeding. Of the half the Aberdeen played like heroes. Move Scorgie was hurt, but they were undaunted, and from goalkeeper to center-forward, they played with an earnestness and determination that appealed to friend and foe alike. Greig fisted away on many dangerous occasions, and Colman and Hannah were invincible at back, while Main showed the life that was in his team when he finished a good run by shooting narrowly past. There was no scoring at the interval, and that there was not was a tribute to the magnificent defense of Aberdeen.

THE ONLY GOAL

Nor did Aberdeen waver in the second half. On the other hand the gave as they got, and it was a game of tit-for-tat except in the matter of the only goal which Hearts had the good fortune to obtain. The aggressive work was well divided over the period, and although by force of numbers Hearts were the more dangerous, their defence was palpably weak against a diminished line, whose spirit rather than ability often took play nearer the Hearts goal than its defenders cared for, Greig, Colman, and Hannah, especially the last-named, set up a truly brilliant defence for Aberdeen. Time and again they cleared when it appeared the game was up. Allan, too, had his anxious moments, and Main and Low both gave him trouble with shots, while Soye executed several runs which with more assistance might quite easily have been productive of goals. Just when it seemed Aberdeen would holdout, the Hearts scored. Low, who was easily their best forward, whipped over a centre, and Currie, lying practically on the goal line, put into the net. To lose under such circumstances Aberdeen were most unlucky. With their weakened forces they made a splendid fight, and had they enjoyed immunity from accident matters must have gone badly with the Edinburgh side.

Source: Evening Express, 12th January 1914