Aberdeen 4 - 0 Aberdeenshire FA Select

The football season was formally opened at Pittodrie Park last night, when the Aberdeen team met an eleven of the Aberdeenshire Association in a friendly match. There were about 2000 spectators present.

Aberdeen kicked east, and tricky work by Soye enabled H. Murray to force a fruitless corner. A rush by the Association, led by Robertson, saw the latter's centre almost picked up by Ferries, but Hume cleared. Aberdeen were at the other end, but H. Murray was tipped over the bar by Morley for a fruitless corner. Soye a minute later was at fault when at close range the ball went high over the bar. Some neat overhead hooking between O'Hagan and Lennie ended in the first-named beating Morley with an unsaveable shot, after eight minutes' play.Soye was very smart on the ground team's right, but a ball which he gave to his partner when favourably placed went skywards over the goal. Ferries made some determined efforts to lead his side west, but for the most part the play lacked cohesion. Afer 14 minutes Mutch got his forst kick. Lennie had a picnic all to himself on the left, and he, O'Hagan, and Miller for a time went "wavering." Lennie sent over a hard cross to the right, and H. Murray returned a low ball to O'Hagan, who scored a second goal for himself and his side after 16 minutes. More bamboozling work by Lennie supplied some merriment to the spectators. For the succeeding five minutes interest centred on the efforts of the Association team to get over midfield. Tricky work by Stewart looked like gaining some ground, but Hume's head was the interrupter, and for a time Aberdeen confined themselves to the "exhibition" game. Soye had a hot shot at Morley, but the keeper cleared smartly. With Mutch out of the goal and Neilson in possession, matters looked bad for Aberdeen, but the winger's shot was too square, and Hume cleared. So far Neilson had been the only forward on the Association side to have any success, and once he had bad luck in not getting a good centre of his improved upon. Aberdeen pressed up until the interval.

Following upon the restart, O'Hagan headed past a centre by H. Murray, and Miller and T. Murray successively had shots which were high. Lennie was practically the only player in the picture for the next five minutes, and he sent in some terrific shots, which missed by inches. Aberdeen had been continuously pressing, obviously without trying to score, when a shot from Soye glanced of A. Murray's head past Morley, and Aberdeen stood three goals up. Following upon this, the Association side had a rally, but the fact that they made ground for a time was not due to any improvement on their play, rather to the laxity of the homesters. One time Mutch had to clear a long shot from Edgar, and again a "googly" from Arthur Murray rebounded off the bottom of the upright when Mutch was beaten. Aberdeen next set their mind to business, and the climax to some manoeuvring came when Lennie, with a low express, put on a fourth goal from the penalty spot. The Association side made spasmodic efforts to get east, when they did get past midfield Colman and Hume experienced little difficulty in recovering. The closing stages of the game were played in a bad light, and with the exception of some smart clearances by Morley, there was nothing in the play outstanding.

Source: Aberdeen Journal, 19th August 1909