Aberdeen 0 - 1 St. Mirren

The Aberdeen Club had St Mirren as their New Year's Day guests, the fixture being under the auspices of the Inter-City League. A crowd of about 4000 spectators assembled to witness the game. In view of the important matches tomorrow, Aberdeen having to play Hibernians at Edinburgh, and St Mirren Dundee at Dundee, both clubs put on scratch elevens. The weather was cold and boisterous, but the turf was in good condition. The teams were:-
Aberdeen: Tait; Willox, Brebner; Halkett, Wilfred Low, Davidson; Robertson, Hilton, Bridges, Henderson, Smith.
St Mirren: Rae; Stevenson, Crawford; Greenlees, Robertson, Donans; Lynch, Cunningham, Wyllie, Hall, Anderson.
Referee - Mr. Muir, Motherwell.

Aberdeen lost the toss and played against the wind. The game was of a holiday order, and was more or less a scramble all through. Happily the crowd were also in a holiday mood, and were not too exacting, otherwise there might have been some grumbling at the class of fare served up. In the first half hardly a glimpse of combined or clever football was seen. St Mirren pressed throughout, and Aberdeen played purely on the defensive. Although the local forwards seldom crossed the mid-line, the visitors were hardly ever like scoring, the Aberdeen backs and half-backs playing a stout breaking-up game which, if not attractive, was at least effective. Tait, the goalkeeper, saved well. An uninteresting first half ended with no scoring.

In the second half there were occasional glimpses of good play, and Aberdeen did most of the pressing. On the whole, however, the game may best be described as a series of scrimmages, in which the backs, half-backs, and forwards were occasionally mixed up higgledy-piggledy. St Mirren frequently broke away, but were well held by Willox and Brebner. In a scrimmage, Cunningham scored for St Mirren, the Aberdeen goalkeeper, in his effort to save, rushing against the post and injuring himself so severely that he had to leave the field for a time. Towards the close of the game Aberdeen wakened up, and made determined efforts to equalise. Robertson and Henderson had creditable shots for goal, but Rae held the ball on both occasions. Another low shot by Robertson took Rae to his knees. In the last five minutes Aberdeen besieged St Mirren's goal, and the best shot of the match, sent in from the touch line by Smith, almost found the net, Rae misjudging the flight of the ball, which glanced off the inside of the upright into play. Aberdeen failed to pierce the Paisley defence, and a disappointing game ended - St Mirren, 1; Aberdeen, 0.

Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal, 2nd January 1906