Aberdeen 5 - 3 Clyde

Scintillating Display Against Clyde

WHEN is a player too old to take part in international football? The question occurred to me (writes James Forbes) when I saw George Hamilton scintillating as leader of the Aberdeen attack against Clyde at Pittodrie on Saturday.

It was before the war that Hamilton first appeared in senior football, but at centre forward these days he is showing better form than ever he did as an inside right when he was honoured by the League and the S.F.A. in 1947.
Without scoring a goal Hamilton stamped his personality all over the match with Clyde. He provided an almost monotonous stream of scoring chances for his forward colleagues, and five goals resulted.
Unfortunately for the Pittodrie supporters' peace of mind, the home defence was far below par, and all three Clyde goals could have been averted.
There is no saying what would have happened had not Martin saved a penalty kick taken by Campbell when the score stood 4-2 in favour of the Dons.
If Aberdeen are going to maintain their challenge for league honours there will have to be a tightening-up of the rearguard.

Plan Lacking

There did not appear to be any plan for covering-up. Young was quite often lured out of position by the clever Buchanan, and a big gap resulted.
The four other Dons forwards simply could not fail to profit from the promptings of their leader. He had Milligan wandering all over the place, and repeatedly beat the pivot by cute head flicks.
Most disappointing was Shaw, the home skipper. It wasn't so much that Davies frequently beat him rather than that his kicking and clearances lacked the precision expected from a player of his experience.
Chris Anderson played his usual forcing game and was the best wing half-back afield. Glen was good in patches, and generally had the upper hand on Bolton, Clyde's new forward star from Petershill. Best of the visiting forwards was Buchanan, whose form indicated why Linwood cannot get back into the league side at Shawfield.
But good though the visiting centre was he took second place to Hamilton, the most intelligent forward on the field.
Yorston was best of the others, although all did well. Boyd was opposed to a good back in Mennie.

Gift Goal

Considering there were eight goals scored, both goalkeepers deserve praise for some splendid saves. It was unfortunate that Martin should spoil an otherwise good display by presenting Clyde with their second goal.
Allan, who was a £750 buy from Stenhousemuir, showed that price to be a bargain. But for him the Dons would have had a cricket score, and he had no chance with any of the goals.
He was impeded by one of his own defenders when Boyd popped up to score Aberdeen's equaliser in eighteen minutes, after Buchanan had put Clyde ahead.
Baird's shot which put the Dons on the lead was deflected by the 'keeper on to a post before it landed in the net. Immediately after that came Martin's mistake and Buchanan's second goal.
Harry Yorston's scoring shots just on half-time and again seven minutes after the restart were of the unsaveable type, and the same applied to the effort by Ring which put Clyde in with a chance with more than twenty minutes left for play.
Hather, however, settled the issue with sixteen minutes to go. After a throw-in by Anderson the ball went out to the left, where the Englishman met it first-time and hit it low and hard into the net.

Source: Press & Journal, 23rd October 1950