Aberdeen 3 - 1 Hibernian

This East of Scotland League match was played yesterday afternoon at Pittodrie, Aberdeen, before a large crowd. Aberdeen had the better of matters all through.

Source: The Scotsman,1905-01-04

The Hibernians travelled from Edinburgh yesterday to play Aberdeen in an East of Scotland League fixture. About 15 minutes before the game started rain began to fall. Fully 5000 people were present when play started. The Hibs, had many changes from the team which played the Hearts at Edinburgh on Monday, Hannah being a local player whose services were requisitioned by the visitors to fill a gap. The teams were:-
Aberdeen: Macfarlane; Murray, McNicol; Halkett, Strang, Low; Robertson, Edgar, Ruddiman, McAulay, Ritchie.
Hibernians: Rennie; Hannah, McConnachie; Logan, Main, Fyfe; Stewart, Dalrymple, Snedden, Henderson, Campbell.
Referee - Mr. A. Jackson, Glasgow.

FIRST HALF

Aberdeen kicked off at that once became aggressive. Settling to shoot, Ritchie was fouled, but the Hibs got the ball away. The visiting forwards raced to the other end, but McNicol knocked Henderson off, and Macfarlane, running 20 yards out, go to great cheered for a lift and bunt executed under difficulties. A spirited piece of play brought Aberdeen down on Rennie, Edgar passing out to Robertson and the danger zone. Ruddiman's shot in, and the ball slipped past the Edinburgh goalkeeper into the net. Ritchie, however, who rushed in to attend to Rennie, was off side, and the goal was not allowed. Hibs paid a visit to the other end, but they were repelled. Henderson was almost through when McNicol brought him up and cleared. Edgar was playing cleverly for Aberdeen and deserved his place. A spell of pressure by Aberdeen ended in Strang shooting over. Back again came Aberdeen, and McAulay shot in Lowe and swift. The ball rebounded off the left back, and Ruddiman getting it, be trendy with an unsuitable shot. The huge crowd cheered delightedly. A wild shot by McAulay a minute later brought out a groan. Aberdeen were playing a great game, the clever footwork of their forwards upsetting the opposing defence. Duncan McNicol tried a run on his own, high and, after beating two opponents, placed to Ruddiman, who puzzled Rennie with a tricky overhead shot, which the goalkeeper caught high up. A dangerous run by Campbell was stopped in time, the Aberdeen forwards made off to the other end. Rennie left his goal, and met the ball in the Ayer thirty yards out. McAulay had an opportunity to shoot, but he spurned the ball over the bar. As the result of tricky work by McAulay, Strang, Low, and Ritchie, McAulay again got his foot in, and tried Rennie with a raking, low shot. Rennie was in rare form, and was cheered again and again. Play continued to be fast and exciting, Aberdeen completely out playing the Greens. Rennie again had to fist, and he sent the ball to Ritchie's foot. The outside left shot with terrific force after carefully steadying himself, but he was just a few inches too high. The Aberdeen front quintette, well supported by the half-backs, continued to play a pretty game, taking the shine out of their opponents. Play was all in the Hibs end, and Rennie and the backs in front of him were getting plenty to do. Edgar, after a brilliant run, in which he dribbled past several opponents, was tricked within the penalty line, and a penalty kick was awarded. Henry Low took the kick, and easily beat the internationalist goalkeeper amid a perfect tornado of cheering. Aberdeen kept at it, making rings round the Hibs, Rennie being priced tried, a great shot from Ruddiman almost finding the net. Robertson was rewarded with a groan for skying the ball when in a good position. The Hibs' outside left got away after the centre forward had beat McNicol, and Murray also being beaten. McNicol, in attempting to cover up, was again a left. The parting shot was wide. After this Hibernian effort, Aberdeen again bore down on Rennie. The Stripes still had by far the best of the game, and continually bombarded Rennie's charge. Duncan McNicol being beaten, Strang came to the rescue, and from a clever return of his came the third goal. Ruddiman got the ball, and wormed through in a rather rugged, but, as it proved, telling, style. His first shot was blocked, and he fell. Quickly regaining his feet, however, Ruddiman and again got the ball, and shot into the corner of the net high up, beating Rennie. Ruddiman's effort was a great one, improve soon to be a determined, rushing centre and a prolific goal-getter. This was a Ruddiman's seventh goal in three successive matches. The whistle shortly afterwards blue, the score being - Aberdeen, 3; Hibernians, 0.
The Hibs in the first half were hopelessly outclassed.

SECOND HALF

In the second half the Hibs started determinedly, and from the kick-off they were down upon Macfarlane. McNicol got his head on the ball, and it was sent away. Then Aberdeen darted up the field, and by brilliant passing between Ruddiman, Edgar, and Robertson they were soon close on Rennie. Ritchie headed in, but Rennie cleared. A raking shot from Tom Strang almost did the trick, the ball grazing one of the uprights. An exciting incident followed. Ruddiman and run in, and Rennie run out. The Aberdeen centre crossed, and the ball rolled slowly across the front of the Hibs' empty goal, but, alas! Nobody was there to put it through, and before and Aberdeen forward reached the tempting ball a Greencoat got his kick end, and a great chance was lost. Aberdeen, as in the first half, made rings round the Hibs, despite the fact that they were playing with the rain in their faces. Any attempt by the Hibs to break away was easily beaten by Murray and McNicol. Brilliant is the word which fittingly describes the work of the Aberdeen half-backs and forwards, Ritchie being the weakest owing to a provoking tendency to fritter away his chances. Rennie saved in close succession from Ruddiman, Edgar, and Ritchie. Hibernians had a loss to look-in, a corner being forced to as the result of Murray being beat. It was a chance, but it was lost, the ball going behind after an exciting tussle in front of Macfarlane. So on the game went, as from the first, with the Aberdeen always superior at every point. What delighted the crowd most among many things in a game to them all over delightful, was Edgar's clever work, his swinging left-foot passes to Robertson stamping him as an ideal inside right. Edgar almost got through bike tricky dribbling, but he was knocked off, and immediately after Ritchie had an opportunity of putting in one of his characteristic shots, but he drove for the dark clouds overhead instead of into the net. Strang also had a brilliant run half the length of the field, but he was at last knocked off the ball when on the point of shooting. Aberdeen were so much superior that it was now a case of the half-backs trying Rennie, a great shot from Henry Low's foot giving the Edinburgh goalkeeper another chance of exhibiting his great qualities. Within the next minute Rennie's was again called upon twice, but from his second fist out, Ritchie, dashing in, missed the ball a couple of yards from the net. Hibernians at last got a goal in a scrimmage following on a corner, Dalrymple lifting the ball over Macfarlane said into the net. After the success the Greens played up and really brilliant fashion, and by smart work in the open repeatedly got the better of the Aberdeen backs and half-backs, but the shooting of their forwards was off the mark. Ruddiman somewhat spoiled his reputation after he had carried the ball past all opposition except Rennie. He shot from yards out, but the ball travelled to wards the corner flag instead of into the net. With this burst the Hibs seemed to have exhausted themselves, for their efforts were soon directed entirely to the task of repelling the resolute and dangerous onslaughts of the Aberdonians. In the last 15 minutes the Stripes literally bombarded Rennie's charge, and only clever goal-keeping and remarkable luck kept the ball from being in the net half a dozen times in as many minutes. Halkett, Strang, and Low - for Murray and McNicol were seldom called upon - kept returning the ball when it got beyond the lines of the storming party, and the judicious placing in a very crowded corner of the field was most praiseworthy. Repeated attempts to find the net were made by the Aberdeen forwards. Ruddiman, in dashing style, rushed in, beating the half-backs, and, tackled, he passed to Robertson, who crossed to Ritchie, who lay in waiting. The Hibs' left back got in his kick and gave away a corner. McAulay trickle a duped an opponent, and passed to Ritchie, who was robbed again at the expense of a corner. Corner followed corner. McAulay made a poor attempt from a deadly cross by Robertson, a shot being 10 yards wide. He, however, made amends by a raking shot, and persistent, the Aberdeen forwards, in a 15 minutes' close bombardment, they read by only three breaks away by the Hibs, failed to again beat Rennie, and I and into resting much, can't fool of sensational incidents and clever play, ended with the score - Aberdeen,3; Hibernian,1. The Aberdeen team gave the best display of football seen at Pittodrie since the season started. The "gate," including stands, was £125.

Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal, 4th January 1905