Dundee United 3 - 5 Aberdeen

If the Dons did not play brilliant football at Tannadice Park on Saturday, they did show fighting spirit. To win by a two goals margin after being two goals in arrears was a sound performance. And, after all, their attack was only a makeshift affair.

Beattie had to call off owing to a knee injury and Smith took over the leadership, with Ferguson on the extreme right. Smith did quite well, at centre-forward, although he was inclined to wander out to the wing.
In the closing stages of the game United lost the services of two players, but the Dons were leading 4-3 at this stage.
Adamson, the Dundee team's left winger, received a fractured ankle and Robertson, right half, a knee injury.
Aberdeen certainly did not play like a winning team in the first half.
United were definitely on top and their small, light forwards often had the opposing defence in trouble.
They should have led by more than the odd goal in five at the interval.

UNIED DEFENCE CRACKS

United tired in the second period and their defence which had been suspect in the opening half, cracked under pressure. The Dons held the whip hand and both Smith Williams should have completed hat-tricks.
Aberdeen defence was shaky in the first half, but in Cooper they had the best back afield.
Thomson was the strongest half-back, while Smith and Williams were dangerous raiders all through. The three other Aberdeen forwards were only moderate.
Kerr, Robertson and Monaghan were the best of the United defence and Milne, Black and Adamson took the honours in attack.
United took the lead in five minutes, a faulty pass by Scott allowing Adamson to nip in and score. Three minutes later the teams were level. Smith beat Kerr in a race for a long pass from Scott and his shot was deflected into the net by the keeper.
With eleven minutes played United regained the lead. Milne "dummied" the Dons' defence with a neat backheel flick and Gardiner scored with a hard shot.

SMITH'S SPLENDID GOAL

Eight minutes from the interval Milne increased the home team's lead from a pass from Robertson, but just on half time Smith ran through the United defence to score a splendid goal.
Williams put the teams level again twenty minutes after the restart, when he picked up a pass from Christie and ran on to net while the home defence appealed for offside.
The Dons took the lead for the first time after thirty minutes play. A race for possession between Miller, Smith, United 'keeper, and Williams saw all three arrive at the ball simultaneously.

LONG RANGE SHOT

The Aberdeen player was the first to recover and cleverly lobbed the ball over the 'keeper's' head into the empty goal. Just before the final whistle Cooper made the issue secure when he came upfield to find the net with a long range shot which struck the upright.
Both teams were awarded a penalty kick in the first half, but neither was converted.

Source: Press & Journal, 27th November 1939