Aberdeen 4 - 0 The Spartans

A rampant Aberdeen proved too much to handle for a brave Spartans side as they comfortably despatched the League Two team and booked their place in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals at Hampden Park. 

Jimmy Thelin made one change to the Aberdeen side that beat Motherwell 2-1 last Saturday, Leighton Clarkson returning to the starting XI in place of Topi Keskinen, who was on the bench. Graeme Shinnie returned from illness to be among the substitutes in place of Peter Ambrose.

The Spartans drew 1-1 at Elgin City on Tuesday night and made four changes to that team with skipper Kevin Waugh, Jamie Dishington, Cameron Russell and Callum Booth all returning in place of Daniel Denholm, Kieran Watson, Brogan Walls and Rory Whittaker.

Aberdeen caused the first flurry of excitement on four minutes, Sivert Heltne Nilsen hitting a piledriver from 25 yards that thumped into a Spartans defender, a block that was perhaps more luck than judgement. He turned provider three minutes later, lifting the ball over the defence as they came out from a corner, but Kevin Nisbet couldn’t get enough loft on his lob at goal and the ball was smothered by Carswell. 

It was that man again for Aberdeen on 14 minutes, as Pape Gueye gave his side the lead. A deep corner was headed back out to Ante Palaversa 20 yards out. He thumped the ball goalwards only to see a similar block to the one that denied Heltne Nilsen, but as the ball dropped, Gueye reacted quickly to sweep it into the net from ten yards out. 

Nisbet should have made it 2-0 on 19 minutes. Jamie McGrath picked out Clarkson and his first time cross was perfect for Nisbet eight yards out, but he missed the ball completely with the goal at his mercy. McGrath wasn’t far away a minute later, collecting a Jack MacKenzie cross on the chest, but his shot on the turn flashed just wide. 

The Dons were in complete control of the game and Palaversa took aim again on 24 minutes, a ferocious effort from nearly 30 yards swerving and dipping just over the bar. 

Gueye was causing havoc again on 34 minutes, bursting through the middle before he was hauled to the floor, Craigen booked for his efforts. Heltne Nilsen followed him into the book for a late tackle a couple of minutes later. Booth was the third one in for another hack on Gueye on 42 minutes. From the free-kick 20 yards out on the corner of the box, Clarkson stepped up, but his shot rippled the wrong side of the side netting. 

The Dons missed another golden chance on 44. McGrath set Gueye up 15 yards out, but he missed his kick. The ball popped up for Heltne Nilsen but he couldn’t keep his shot down and the score remained 1-0.

But only for about 45 seconds, for Nisbet was on the mark for 2-0 in the 45th minute. MacKenzie was on the overlap and, on receiving the ball from McGrath, he guided a low cross into the six yard area where Nisbet got between the two defenders and arrived at the perfect moment to guide the ball into the net. 

HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 2 THE SPARTANS 0

Topi Keskinen replaced Gueye at the break.  

It took just 41 seconds for Aberdeen to make it 3-0, Clarkson doing the job with a neat header from six yards out as he ghosted into the box to get on the end of a beautifully placed curling cross into the box from Slobodan Rubezic.

Shinnie replaced Heltne Nilsen after 55 minutes, also taking the armband from Nicky Devlin. It wasn’t long before Shinnie was connecting with a rasping drive that flew over from 30 yards out. A triple substitution from The Spartans came on the hour, Henderson, Russell and Dishington making way for Ritchie, Stowe and Walls. Six minutes later, the Dons replaced Nisbet with Ester Sokler, then Spartans introduced Kieran Watson for Paul Watson as the flurry of changes took the sting out of the game.

Carswell had to take the sting out of a stabbed Shinnie shot at goal on 68 minutes, the skipper running onto a Devlin pull back only to see The Spartans’ goalkeeper clawing the ball to safety. 

The fourth goal came Aberdeen’s way on 72 minutes. A lovely piece of control from Clarkson gave him the chance to play a pass in behind for MacKenzie to gallop onto. His low ball through the box was met by Sokler at full stretch, the ball coming off him, then the goalkeeper and creeping in. In the aftermath, Denholm replaced Booth, then Jack Milne and Angus MacDonald came on for Devlin and Gavin Molloy with 15 minutes left.

Dimitar Mitov was finally called into action on 79 minutes, collecting a cross but falling awkwardly and needing treatment before resuming. 

MacKenzie almost crowned an excellent individual performance on 88 minutes, collecting the ball just inside the box and firing off a shot that crept just wide of the far post. 

Mitov was back in the game a minute later, having to go full stretch to paw Wells’ drive over the bar, the Bulgarian international denying the visitors a late consolation. 

1 minute added at end 1st half.
0 minutes added at end 2nd half.