Celtic 3 - 0 Aberdeen

Aberdeen F.C. have arranged to play a charity game with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, May 5. The proceeds of the match will go to the National Fund for the Y.M.C.A.
The fixture was arranged after the negotiations for the transfer Bogan and Lowrie had been completed.
It will be recalled that the United played the Dons in a friendly at Pittodrie last September. The Aberdeen team made a devastating start to this game, and thanks to Hamilton, Yorston and Hather were three goals up in the first twenty minutes.
Once the Manchester side got into their stride, however, they gave a smart display and cohesive, forcing football, and ran out winners by five goals to three.

IF the Dons mean to uphold the prestige of Scottish football when they make the trip in May they will have to show a vast improvement on Saturday's cup form.
If there was a single redeeming feature about the Dons' defeat at Celtic Park I failed to see it.
Apart from brief ten minutes at the start they never played as a team. Cracks were exposed in the defence, and the attack was disjointed and unimaginative.
Just how desperate was Aberdeen's plight may be gauged from the fact Bogan, Yorston, and Delaney were all tried at centre-forward, and the backs were switched after the interval.
It wasn't the fact that the Dons were beaten that leaves unhappy memories of this tie, so much as the fact that they failed to make a real fight of it.

ALL three Celtic goals could traced directly to individual defensive blunders. Young was the guilty man when McPhail scored the first, McKenna could be faulted when Tully registered the second and Shaw would find it difficult to offer an excuse for the loss of No. 3, scored by McPhail.
Not a single Don approached international standard and of the eleven only four players deserved commendation.
Martin, in goal, had no chance with the balls that beat him. McKenna played gamely in the second half when he went to left back, and Harris, although he was rarely seen in a conslructive role, could justly claim that did good work in defence.
To me it seemed that Young lost much of his poise when McPhail scored the first goal. He became more reliable in the second half, but was not the dominating personality we have come know.

The forwards were without a plan of campaign. The only member of the quintet who created any real trouble for the Celtic defence was Baird. The inside left put everything he had into the game and the pity of it was that he received such scant response from his team-mates.
Although it can be only a matter of conjecture George Hamilton might have made a difference in the attack. Tommy Bogan, the recruit from Manchester United, got few chances. He can neither be condemned nor commended on his display in this game.
Aberdeen were poorly served on the wings by Delaney and Pearson, and although Yorston tried hard he had little to show for it at the end of ninety minutes.

CELTIC were a workmanlike side. Their job was made easy by the Pittodrie defenders. The Parkhead team could win the Cup, but they certainly did not strike me as being such a well equipped side as Hibs.
On Saturday's form Celts have two live candidates for caps against England at Wembley in Bobby Evans at right half and John McPhail at centre-forward.

Source: Evening Express, 12th March 1951