Aberdeen 4 - 0 Hibernian

Aberdeen U20s 4 Hibernian U20s 0 | Glebe Park | 6.00pm

Wright 4, Shankland 43, 53, Robertson 90

The Dons lined up with Scott Brown in goal, Craig Murray at right back, Joe Shaughnessy and Michael Rose in central defence with Clark Robertson at left back. Kieran Gibbons and Jamie Masson were the holding midfielders with Scott Wright wide left, Cem Felek wide right and Marcus Campanile playing in behind Lawrence Shankland up front.

Craig Storie and Scott McKenna were both unavailable for selection as they are currently away with the Scotland U19s. Frank Ross is with the Scotland U16s in Mexico.

This season in the U20 League the rules have been amended again and teams are allowed to play up to five over age players.

The game came to life in the opening minutes when Felek produced a delightful bit of skill to beat his marker but his clever through ball was not read by anyone. Felek had a very impressive game.

On 4 minutes the Dons took the lead and it was a very good team goal. Craig Murray played the ball into Shankland who took one touch before turning and playing it to Gibbons, his first time forward pass found Campanile who also played an excellent first time pass into the path of Wright who rounded the keeper and put the ball into the empty net.

Both teams in the first half played a lot of good football and it was a very entertaining game to watch. On 13 minutes the away side put a nice move together, the ball was eventually laid into the path of Cummings but he did not catch his shot quite as he would have liked and Brown made a comfortable save. Then three minutes later Sinclair produced a nice turn and shot at the edge of the area but the ball just went wide.

Back came the Dons and on 18 minutes Felek produced a strong run and hit a really powerful shot which the keeper could only palm away before eventually diving on it. A minute later Cummings had an opening but he hurried his shot and pushed it well wide.

On 21 minutes the Dons then scored what they though was the second goal.

Scott Wright nipped in to take the ball off a defender and hammered it low past Kleton Perntreou. As he ran off to celebrate the linesman raised his flag. At the time is looked a very strange decision and the Aberdeen players were bemused but when you watch the goal on RedTV you will see that Lawrence Shankland was in an offside position. Although Lawrence does not touch the ball the linesman felt the position he took up impeded the sight of the keeper and was therefore interfering with play. It was probably the correct decision.

On 24 minutes a long diagonal ball from Clark Robertson found Scott Wright and this time the linesman kept his flag down. He played a ball into the box which Shankland got on the end of, he nipped in ahead of the keeper and from a very tight angle got the shot on target but a defender was able to clear the ball off the line. Hibs, with Jason Cummings in their line up and former Dundee United and WBA player Scott Allan, looked a threat going forward but Aberdeen defensively looked very strong. On 25 minutes the excellent Michael Rose produced a superb tackle. The timing of his tacking was first class all night. On 28 minutes Hibs broke well but Joe Shaughnessy used all his experience to hold up the attack before deflecting the shot from Allan wide.

Hibs were enjoying a better spell at this point but it was the Dons who got the crucial second goal two minutes before the break. Shankland started the move by brilliantly holding the ball up before setting Felek free. He ran in on goal before taking out the defender and playing it wide to Campanile. His effort produced a good save from Perntreou, the ball was not cleared and then Felek had a shot which produced an even better save this time from the Hibs stopper. The ball then fell for Shakland who appeared to slightly mistime his header but the ball looped up over everyone and landed in the corner of the net. He could not have placed the header any better if he had tried! The keeper and defenders could do nothing about it.

HT

On 49 minutes Brown's long clearance was flicked on by Robertson into the path of Shankland. He played a very neat pass into Wright and his first time curling effort just went past. Great football from the young Dons again. Some of the interplay in and around the box was excellent tonight.

Aberdeen were now well in control and on 54 they added a third. A free kick was taken quickly to Felek who played in a great cross which found Shankland and he planted a bullet header into the net. Lawrence was probably the pick of the players this evening. As well as his two goals, his hold up and link up play was very impressive.

Hibs, who lost their U20 coach over the weekend, to their credit never gave up and on 64 minutes a Cummings shot from point blank range produced a really good save from Brown. A couple of minutes later the keeper made another good save from Cummings when he palmed a shot to safety and saved the follow up from Allan.
Then Cummings fired one just wide.

On 80 minutes substitute Shankland showed great strength to hold off three defenders which created space for substitute Orsi to run into. Kalvin was clean through but the keeper did just enough to put him off. In the closing stages Brown produced another good save from Cummings and then in the third minute of added on time Jamie Masson played in a great ball from a free kick and Clark Robertson, who made a run a run to the front post area, was able to tap home.

Aberdeen: Brown, Murray, Robertson, Gibbons, Shaughnessy, Rose, Campanile (Henry 81), Masson, Shankland (Jones 88), Felek, Wright (Orsi 71) Subs Mutch, Jones, Kelly

Hibernian: Perntreou, Dunsmore, Todd, Martynuir, Gardiner, Booth (McGregor 64), Martin, S Alan (McCaffery 75), L Alan, Cummings, Sinclair (Crane 51) Subs Brennan, Duthie, Hendry

RedTV | the goals please click here
RedTV | Paul Sheerin post match please click here