Aberdeen 1 - 0 Hibernian

Aberdeen booked their top six spot courtesy of a spectacular volley from Scott Severin that would have deserved to win any match. The goal came in the 21st minute and although both teams had spells of dominance the Dons held out and can now focus on trying to cut the four point gap on Hibs to secure the fourth place, which could produce a European spot if other factors fall into place. Langfield made some important stops and Caldwell had a goal line clearance to deny Lovell another goal in an exciting if nervous encounter.

The visitor's kicked off with a fairly stiff breeze blowing but it was Aberdeen who threatened first in the third minute. A neat turn and shot from Snoyl had Caldwell scurrying back to clear the ball out for the first corner of the match. A minute later Severin drilled a shot wide of the target as the Dons made a positive start. Lovell looked to be getting the better of Caldwell in the sixth minute but was harshly penalised on the edge of the Hibs box. Hibs then settled and started probing the Dons defence forcing Dempsey to make an important interception as Riordan looked to get in behind the defence.

In the 11th minute Lovell made a probing run into the Hibs box but may have been better feeding the ball to Crawford before being outnumbered. A minute later Lovell and Crawford linked well but Malkowski had an easy save from Crawford's weak finish. Diamond was claiming for a penalty seconds later although it would have been a soft award under the circumstances. Hibs then won a free kick in the 17th minute and the Dons defence seemed to switch off as the ball was played short to Riordan who fired wide from 25 yards out.

Aberdeen's second corner in the 21st minute produced the opening goal of the match when Snoyl delivered the corner and it was half cleared to Severin 12 yards out. The midfielder then hit a terrific volley that gave the keeper no chance. A minute later the keeper was out quick to block a Crawford shot as Aberdeen looked to build on their lead. Hibs were still dangerous on the break and had a couple of efforts that failed to test Langfield. Riordan caused problems on the half hour mark and forced Hibs first corner. The corner was cleared but a minute later Dempsey was booked as he conceded a free kick in a dangerous position. Langfield blocked the effort from Riordan and was able to gather the loose ball.

Aberdeen were looking very threatening but the final ball or a defender's foot were always enough to deny the scoring chance. Hibs won a couple of corners in the 40th minute and Aberdeen struggled to clear their lines but then broke quickly through Ferne Snoyl. He squared the ball to Lovell on the edge of the box but the striker didn't get a clean strike and Malkowski easily smothered it. A minute later Clark cut into the box but had his effort blocked from 9 yards out. A minute from the end of the half Snoyl was back working hard to deny Whittaker while in the last seconds he wasted a chance in the Hibs box as he tried to beat too many players instead of going for goal.

Aberdeen almost extended their lead in the 48th minute when Lovell sneaked in to get on the end of a Snoyl cross but the keeper made a fine save. Aberdeen continued to press from the corner as they looked for a second goal. Good build up play two minutes later had Smith breaking on the left and eventually forcing another corner. Dempsey latched on to the clearance and volleyed the ball into the ground and wide of the far post. Hibs then surged forward in the 53rd minute with Benjelloun firing wide. Hibs had weathered the early storm and won another dangerous free kick in the 56th minute that was well defended.

The visitor's threatened again on the hour mark when Langfield was forced to tip a Benjelloun effort over the bar. The resulting corner was scrambled clear as Aberdeen struggled to regain control of the match. Nerves were starting to show and Diamond conceded a corner in the 64th while looking for Langfield to collect. The dangerous living continued two minutes later when Fletcher fired wide with the defence in disarray. Mackie then replaced Crawford in the 69th minute as the Dons looked to inject some pace into the attack. Aberdeen had the ball in the net again a minute later when Diamond bundled it over after Anderson had collided with and impeded Malkowski.

Aberdeen were now causing the visitor's problems again after weathering the storm but a second goal would certainly relax a lot of nerves round Pittodrie. Lovell should have scored in the 79th minute when he latched on to a Smith cross, but it wouldn't have counted anyway as the assistant referee had already flagged for offside. Hibs almost levelled in the 83rd minute when the defence were slow in pulling out and the ball was played over the top and Langfield made a great block from Fletcher. Snoyl then showed a great piece of skill to beat two defenders in the 85th minute but then made a very poor cut back. A minute later McNaughton showed him how it was done and found Lovell six yards out only for Caldwell to clear his effort off the line.

Griffin then replaced Dempsey three minutes from the end and within seconds a Dons break found Severin winning a corner, which resulted in the match winner hitting another couple of volleys with the second one producing a fine save from the keeper. In the final minute Foster replaced Snoyl as the clock ran down another few seconds. The two minutes of injury time failed to produce further incident and Aberdeen completed the task in hand.

---

Match Stats:

		Dons	Hibs
Goal Attempts		7	7
On Target		5	3
Corners		7	6
Possession		53%	47%

---