Aberdeen 1 - 1 Heart of Midlothian

THE YOUNG DONS have played a lot worse than they did against Hearts A last Saturday?and still won. A 1-1 draw was a disappointing result and the manner in which we lost the second-half equaliser was unfortunate. A misunderstanding between Barrie Mitchell and Billy Williamson in the penalty box allowed Kinnear to step in to head past the unprotected Andy Geoghegan. A kick on the leg early in the game left Andy crippling for the rest of the match and he gave a courageous display under this handicap. Mitchell was fielded at centre half so that he would have more running to do and thus speed up his recovery to first-team standard. He was a partial success. There was a big improvement in Tommy Wilson's display, but I thought our best man at the back was left back Jimmy Smith. Not a flashy performer, he hardly put a foot wrong against two former Highland League players, Donald Park in the first half and Neil Murray when he switched wings after the interval.
Link men Joe Smith, who took his goal well, and John Craig did not quite play up to their recent high standard and we did not create all that many chances. Jimmy Miller did a fair job on the right flank until a knee knock forced his early retirement. Bobby Street, as ever, could not be faulted for his high work-rate and willingness to chase, while Ian Purdie was good in flashes but inclined to do foolish things. It's not possible to give every man a regular game, but two who have been unavailable for selection recently are Charlie Esslemont and Andy Kerr. Esslemont will be off for another week with glandular fever, while Kerr has been suffering from shingles.

Source: Match Programme, 14th October 1972