Aberdeen 3 - 0 Highland League Select

The members the North of Scotland Football Association Select XI. which met Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday showed in no measured fashion that they had inherited the traditional Highland dourness and tenacity, but even these qualities failed to bring them victory or even a division of the spoils. They managed to hold out, however, against a superior team until the last ten minutes of the game, but, in that brief time, they lost three goals and retired beaten by that total.
In the first half the exchanges were fairly evenly divided, and, if the Aberdeen front rank did miss some glaring opportunities, the same could be said of the visitors. Had the men from the North swung the ball more instead of playing the close-passing game they might have crossed over with a lead. As it was the teams finished the first half on level terms, for which the Select XI. had to thank their defence, and particularly Goodall, McKenzie, and Bowden. Paton, the only first team player in the home side, if one excepts Moir. who was playing his first game at home since his bad knee injury, gave a particularly tricky display, and this despite the fact that he was against a fearless and resolute tackier in Forsyth, of the Caley.

A GREAT DEFENCE.

The first portion of the second half saw a duel between the visiting defence and the home forwards. Time and again Goodall and White stood between Bowden and the home van, and even when the ball did get past them the goalkeeper was always in a position to bring off a spectacular clearance. Particularly brilliant were his saves from Paton, Spalding, and Thomson, the latter's shot being of the "express" variety. It was left to Paton to open the scoring, which he did with a snap shot into the corner of the net. Moir got a second off a mistake by White, and Thomson scored the third with a lightning drive from twenty yards out. The visitors' front line was dangerous at times, but Lamb, McDonald, and Logie were the only ones who severely tested Cunningham. The game ended in favour of Aberdeen by 3 goals to 0.

Source: Press & Journal, 13th March 1924