Aberdeen 1 - 2 Falkirk

Falkirk Pivot Held Home Attack in Check
By NORMAN MACDONALD

RANGERS are marching steadily onwards towards another Scottish League flag. Hibs made a gallant bid, but failed to stop them at lbrox Park on Saturday.

Main challenge to the champions looks like coming from Partick Thistle and Motherwell. Clyde and Queen's Park emerged from obscurity to register their first victories.
Sombre clouds are gathering over Pittodrie Park. The Dons are not the team they were last season. Falkirk's success on Saturday was a bad blow.
Only those who refuse to accept the obvious will deny this. The facts speak for themselves.
Aberdesn have played five Scottish League matches, four of them at home, and have a total of only four points.
Not even the most optimistic can suggest that this record augurs well for the future.

Chances Missed

Saturday's 2-1 failure against Falkirk served only to confirm recent suspicions about the Aberdeen team.
The Pittodrie officials must be worried. They can derive little encouragement from the reserve team results. The Young Dons average three points from six games.
If points had been awarded for time spent in the opposition half of rhe field Aberdeen would not have been beaten by the Bairns. In the second half particularly the Dons held a decided territorial advantage.
Unfortunately goals are the things that matter. The Aberdeen forwards lacked the ability to make and take scoring chances.
They were too stereotyped in their methods and too often the final vital pass failed to reach its mark.
Although less in evidence as a striking force the Falkirk attackers threatened more danger. In criticising the Aberdeen forwards one mustn't lose sight of the fact that the Falkirk defence played their part in holding the home attack in check and none more so than Bob Henderson.
Tall and seemingly awkward, the Brockville pivot, along with Whyte and McPhee, built up round Jerry Dawson what must have appeared to the Pittodrie forwards an almost impregnable wall.
Falkirk have been victorious on their last three visits to Pittodrie and Henderson has had more to do with the Dons' defeats than any other individual player.
Bolt got through a lot of work at right half, but the extreme wingers, Ken Dawson and Fiddes, were unusually quiet. The most menacing forwards were unusually quiet. The most menacing forwards were Aikman at centre and Alison at inside right.
The Aberdeen defence played soundly. McKenna tackled and kicked with more confidence than in recent matches. Taylor did not touch his best form.

Promising Debut

Hugh McVean by no means disgraced himself in making his debut at right half. I thought he showed real promise as a constructive half back.
Falkirk's opening goal, thirteen minutes after the start, was a simple affair. It looked as if Taylor failed to intercept a clearance by R. Henderson.
Aikman, always on the alert, gathered the ball, resisted a challenge by Waddell and shot low into the net.
Tne equaliser arrived within two minutes of the start of the second half. Give Millar his due he took his gall well. When Williams and Baird contrived to get the ball towards the left, the winger met it first time and cracked it into the roof of the net.
The Falkirk winner came with twelve minutes left for play, and it was a neatly executed goal. The ball came through from Bolt.
Waddell had Aikman covered and the centre immediately backheeled the ball to the right, where Alison ran forward to meet it and send it into net.

Source: Press & Journal, 20th October 1947