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matches

Aberdeen 3 - 0 Raith Rovers

HT Score: Aberdeen 2 - 0 Raith Rovers

Div 1 (Old)
Aberdeen scorers: Hamilton 9, Hather 29, Hamilton 83.

26/11/1949 | KO: 14:15

Hather and Hamilton Had Fire

THE Aberdeen v Raith Rovers match at Pittodrie on Saturday was worth seeing if only for the brilliant come-back of tall inside forward Archie Baird, who in 1946 was chosen to play against England in the Victory International at Hampden but had to withdraw because of injury. Next year Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup, and then the big fellow had a succession of injuries that would have broken the heart of most players. In two-and-a-half years he has had a broken leg and three cartilage operations. A few months ago the knowing ones were saying "Baird is finished." But they didn't know Archie. Patience, perseverance and love of the game made him determined to prove them wrong. Against Raith and on a heavy ground, the Baird artistry was outstanding and the top reason for a 3-0 Aberdeen win.

Perfect passes

He brought the ball under control, swerved past one or two opponents when necessary, sent his passes along with crisp perfection, got almost every ball in the air and never shirked a tackle. Maule, Raith Rovers' diminutive inside right, alone of the other forwards approached the Baird standard of ball control, but whereas Maule invariably turned back or across the field, Baird was always going forward. If Archie maintains this form and escapes further injury he must again come into the international reckoning.

Woodstock mistake

I was disappointed in Raith centre-half Jimmy Woodstock, who limped almost from the start, and went off for a good five minutes before half-time.
I learned afterwards that he wasn't fit before the game but, being a local lad whose Junior team had postponed their own game to see him, he was keen to play. It was a great mistake.
The Aberdeen centre-half Willie Waddell, was the victim of an unfortunate head collision ten minutes after half-time, and went off for good, leaving both sides to finish with ten men.

Forgot his wedding

Willie had concussion and couldn't remember a thing after the match - not even that he was married early last week.
He was at Pittodrie yesterday morning and told me he was feeling better after a night's rest, but still didn't remember anything about getting his head knock.
Aberdeen are not yet the fluent, well-balanced side that won the Scottish Cup, but Saturday's signs are that they are on the way back and there is a grand team spirit.

A North star

I was surprised at the number of players and referees who were at Pittodrie yesterday, Referees, too...Peter Craigmyle and W. L. Smith. Trainer Bob McDiarmid and his assistant, Barney Alexander, were busy attending to baths and injuries.
Matt Armstrong, former Aberdeen favourite and one of the best centre forwards ever, was also there. Matt still plays for Elgin City, and he was praising young Mitchell, the Inverness Caledonian centre forward, who had scored three goals and helped to beat Elgin 4-0 on Saturday. "You should sign him on now," he said to Aberdeen manager David Halliday. "This boy not only scores goals, but makes them, and will be a champion. If you wait you may be too late." Mitchell, I understand, has just come out of the Navy, and Newcastle were watching him.

JACK HATHER, the lad with the electrifying burst and the twinkle in his feet, and George Hamilton, the man who has erased the word "impossible" from his vocabulary, were the twin reasons for Aberdeen's 3-0 victory over Raith Rovers.

They provided the fire power in attack, and Archie Baird is entitled to a hearty vote of thanks for his unfailing co-operation.
Had the right wing been equally effective, McGreggor, a heroic figure in the Kirkcaldy defence, would have had to pick the ball out of the net more than three times.
Pearson's skill as a ball player is not in doubt, but he is a natural left-footer and loses much of his value on the right wing.
Yorston had a mediocre game. As a matter of fact, he was a more profitable player when he dropped back from inside right to right half.

10 MEN EACH

Both teams finished with ten men. Jim Woodcock, the Kirkcaldy centre half, was an active participant for only thirty-five minutes. He retired with a pulled thigh muscle.
Waddell, the Dons' pivot, joined him in the pavilion after fifty-seven minutes' play suffering from concussion. He was still dazed when the game finished.
If the absence of these two players did not extract any of the keenness from the exchanges, it was bound to lower the standard of play.
Over the ninety minutes the Dons proved themselves the more mobile and effective football combination. Raith were heading for defeat before they lost the services of Woodcock. They were two goals down in twenty-nine minutes.
The Aberdeen forwards could be accused of missing chances, but the woodwork came to Raith's assistance more than once, and McGregor had several magnificent saves.

100 PER CENT.

Hather and Pearson both had the annoying experience of seeing shots stopped by the post in the second half, and McGregor gets 100 per cent, for saves he made from Hamilton, Baird and Yorston.
Courage Raith Rovers had in abundance. The right wing triangle of Till, Maule and Goldie produced some neat football, but the man who carried the dynamic touch in the Kirkcaldy front rank was the long-striding Penman on the left wing.
Frank Watson looks as if he has come to stay in the Aberdeen goal. His work was clean and confident.

INTO THE NET

Aberdeen's first goal in nine minutes was a typical Hamilton affair. When Emery swept the ball into the middle it flashed off the centre's head into the net.
McNaught, the Raith left back, could be blamed for the loss of the second goal in twenty-nine minutes.
When he attempted to pass back to his 'keeper, Hather, with fine anticipation, came racing in from the wing to beat McGregor to the ball and crack it into the net.
Seven minutes from the final whistle Hamilton produced the third goal. Yorston thrust the ball up the middle, and the Dons' leader swept through the Raith defence to give McGregor no chance.

Source: Press & Journal, 28th November 1949

Aberdeen Teamsheet
Watson, Emery, McKenna, Anderson, Waddell, Harris, Pearson, Yorston, Hamilton, Baird, Hather.
Raith Rovers Teamsheet
McGregor; Kelly, McNaught; Till, Woodcock, Brown; Goldie, Maule, Colville, Collins, Penman
Attendance: 16,000
Venue: Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen
Referee: F. Scott