Aberdeen 0 - 3 Dundee

Played at Pittodrie before 8000 spectators. The teams were at full strength. Aberdeen, pressing at the start, lost a couple of splendid chances and then Dundee got towards MacFarlane, who was beaten by a terrific shot. Before half-time Dundee got another lucky goal. The second period had not long begun when Gault missed the ball and Cox, running in, beat the goalkeeper for a third time. Aberdeen played pluckily after this, but could not beat Muir. A fine game ended:- Dundee, three goals; Aberdeen, nothing. Gate £223 9s 4d

Source: The Scotsman, 10th December 1906

The Aberdeen and Dundee at Pittodrie in a Scottish League fixture, and the meeting of the Skeen rivals attracted a crowd of between 7000 and 8000 spectators. When Aberdeen visited Dundee earlier in the season the result was a draw. A hard and exciting game was therefore expected on Saturday. A large number of enthusiasts from Dundee were present, two special trains conveying about 1000 excursionists. The teams were:-

Aberdeen: Macfarlane; Boyle, Gault; Halkett, Strang, W. Low; Robertson, Ward, McKinley, H. Low, Lennie.
Dundee: Muir; McKenzie, Jeffrey; Lee, Dainty, Henderson; Webb, Mick Dermott, Cox, Macfarlane, Fraser.
Referee - Mr. Riddell, Edinburgh.

THE GAME

Greatly to the annoyance of a large proportion of those who paid for admission to the grounds the game was started 15 minutes before the advertised time. Aberdeen won the toss, and played with the advantage of a slight breeze. Dundee, led by Macfarlane and Fraser, were the first to attack, Boyle relieving with a huge punt. Robertson, the Aberdeen outside right, sprinted with the ball until tackled, when he crossed, Lennie driving in with great force, the ball striking the upright and going behind. For a few minutes Aberdeen, playing with great dash, held Dundee on the defensive. A long drive by Robertson was caught by Muir. A period of spirited pressure by Aberdeen was terminated by Ward shooting over. The Dundee wings, well Clyde by Cox, endeavoured to settle down to tricky, combined play, but the Aberdeen half-backs were at this stage strong in breaking-up tactics. Muir handled a shot from McKinley, and Lennie forced a corner. The Aberdeen attack was beaten back, and the visitors showed their true form. Cox, Fraser, and Macfarlane, by clever footwork, run through the Aberdeen defenders. Macfarlane centred, his namesake in the Aberdeen goal saving with cox almost in upon him. Play at this stage was exciting, the Aberdeen defence standing well up to the smart Dundee attack. Playing with a perfect understanding, the Dundee half-backs and forwards were difficult to beat off. After Macfarlane had saved cleverly from a screw shot by Webb from the corner, the Aberdeen forwards travelled to the other end, only to be beaten back. The Dundee front rank then showed their quality. McDermott dribbled west, passed to Webb, who sprinted along at top speed, and crossed to Macfarlane, who had no difficulty in beating the Aberdeen goalkeeper 11 minutes from the start. Notwithstanding their marked inferiority in open play, the Aberdeen men contrived to force their way to the other end, chiefly by the efforts of the half-backs, and the rushes of their forwards frequently looked dangerous. The Dundee backs and goalkeeper, however, were steady, and unbeatable. Lennie, who was proving a thorn in McKenzie's flesh, was unfairly brought down by the Dundee right back when clear off with the ball, the Dundonians being cautioned by the referee. For a time Dundee completely outplayed the homesters, but were not allowed to settle for shooting near goal. In one of the Dundee attacks Macfarlane cleared a hard drive from Webb, only to be beaten a few minutes later in the most tantalizing manner. A slow, overhead kick goalwards by Webb was misjudged by Macfarlane, who failed to fist away from the rebound, the ball rising over the goalkeepers head and falling into the net, Macfarlane being hustled between the posts by Cox as he made an effort to recover and reach the ball. It was a bad mistake and cost Aberdeen deer, four with two goals against them there played deteriorated, and compared badly with cool, calculated movements of the Dundee half-backs and forwards. Of heroic individual work on the Aberdeen side there was plenty, but as a team, they were lacking in combination. Dashing runs by Lennie, McKinley, Robertson, and Ward, unsettled the Dundee backs, but the result only tended to demonstrate Muir's skill as a goalkeeper, his holding of hot shots from Lennie and McKinley being remarkably clever. Aberdeen continued to be the aggressors until the interval.

Aberdeen started the second half with Ward at outside right, Robertson going inside, the result being an improvement, the right wingers being responsible for some fine runs, which troubled Jeffrey. The ground team made the pace at the start of the second half, McKinley being almost through when robbed by Jeffrey. Henry Low was well set on a run to wards Muir, when he was wrongly given off side. Lennie and Low by clever play worked into position, McKinley, in the act of taking a pot shot at the Dundee goal, being blocked by Jeffrey. The Aberdeen half-backs and forwards were now are playing to some purpose, and the Dundee defence showed signs of breaking down, McKenzie repeatedly having to kick into touch to prevent Lennie getting past him. Then another bit of luck came the way of Dundee. After Aberdeen had had the visitors hemmed in for 15 minutes, McDermott swung the ball across to Macfarlane, who raced down the wing and drove across the front of the Aberdeen goal. Two Aberdeen players swung at the ball and missed it. Webb, standing in position, took careful in and drove the ball into the net, giving Macfarlane no chance to save, and putting Dundee three up. This additional reverse, undeserved on play, put the issue out of doubt, the Dundonians played with confidence, while Aberdeen were distracted in attack and shaky in defence. Macfarlane saved on the line from his Dundee namesake, who had been ruled offside. At the other end Ward forced a corner off Henderson. The visitors crowded their goal and got the ball away. In the open the Dundee forwards and half-backs made rings round the homesters. A long shot from Fraser's foot grazed the top of the Aberdeen crossbar, and a minute later Macfarlane fisted away a terrific shot sent in at short range by McDermott. At the Dundee end after a long spell of inactivity, Muir was called upon, the goalkeeper holding a shot from Lennie just over the goal line outside the upright, and giving away a corner. Clever play by Low, Lennie, and Robertson, looked promising, but the Dundee backs were unbeatable, but Jeffrey heading the ball away in an exciting scrimmage in the Dundee goalmouth. Although a beaten and outplayed team, Aberdeen frequently looked like decreasing Dundee's big lead, the crowd giving vent to their disappointment in a long-drawn "Ah!" when Low, with Muir beaten, flashed the ball with great force past the wrong side of the upright. The exclamation was repeated when a clever drive from Lennie across the front of the Dundee goal was lost through Ward not being up. Aberdeen worked hard for goal, but failed to get it, Lennie being twice blocked when shooting point blank at short range. A disappointing game ended without further scoring.

The gate was £189 9s 7d, and the stands £25 - a total of £214 9s 7d.

Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal, 10th December 1906

"Cocks o' the North."

Dundee honestly earned that proud title on Saturday at Pittodrie. They came, saw, and conquered, Aberdeen having to recognise defeat from a superior team. It was a lively start, in which Aberdeen gave their supporters great encouragement that good things would come, in the shape of goals. Dundee recovered generally from the set-back, and passing in bewildering fashion, the home backs were unable to check them. Macfarlane opened the score with a splendid effort, having a fine position to shoot from, and he timed the ball to a nicety. There were some ugly rushes after this which cuuld have well been dispensed with, little Lennie coming in for too much attention. Lennie, and then Ward, had hard lines, and had the equaliser come at this time there is no saying what might have happened. Muir had a twister or two to save, but McKenzie generally managed to intercept or bundle McKinley about till the centre got completely off his game. It was a stupid mistake on the part of backs and goalkeeper that Dundee got their second goal - which was a pure gift, if ever there was one, in the football field. Aberdeen ended the first half with a burst, but nary a goal to their credit. The second half also opened with another rush on Muir, but the left wing were off the bull's-eye every time. Their shooting was close, but always sufficiently wide to make Dundee citadel safe. Again, our backs were at fault with the third goal, Gault showing bad judgment when defeated. In fact, all through the left back was the weakest man on the defence. There were several narrow "shaves" after this, but nothing definite occurred, and a hard game ended Dundee 3, Aberdeen o.

The Players.

It will be patent to the Aberdeen directorate that they will have to infuse new blood into their team before the cup ties. To do this they will require to get men a bit heavier than they have been in the habit of securing of late. Weight and weight alone iold its tale on Saturday, along with a sound defence. With a couple of more experienced backs in front of him Macfarlane would have been saved the odium of three goals going past. Gault seems to be going back instead of improving, and will require to be superseded. The halves were good, and the for¬wards good in the open, but fell away at close quarters. Dundee's halves were ever on the spot, and we regard them as the strongest part of the team. The forwards combined very finely, having a nice understanding amongst them. Muir was safe as usual, but the backs were rough and used their weight quite unnecessarily.

Chatty Bits.

Misfortunes never come singly. Aberdeen have lost their clever right winger ? Macdonald ? for a few weeks. He has contracted an attack of measles since he came north.
Willox had also to stand down from the A team, as his knee was bothering him.
It will be a three weeks at the least before Macdonald is right to start training. This may be described as hard times in the team.
Edgar is improving rapidly, and the sooner he is fit to take the field the better, for nobody can feed Lennie like him.
Henry Low is a great player, but he can't be expected to do himself or the team justice by shifting about all over the team, week in week out.
Jimmy Robertson was not a success at outside right, and was much better when changed to the inside position.
Dainty gave a rare display at centre-half for Dundee. He completely overshadowed McKinley.
Lennie was never the same after McKenzie turned him heels over head. It was a nasty bout, and quite uncalled for.
The great crowd were kept in splendid humour by the firm play on both sides. In fact, the play at times was the best we have seen on Pittodrie. Both sides displayed excellent form in the open, but Dundee, as usual, got any luck that was going.
All in the gate amounted to £223 9s. 4d., representing an attendance of 8,000 who paid for admission. With ticket-holders and others there would have been a little over nine thousand present. With this great crowd Pittodrie was not filled by a long way.
What has come over the A's of late? They are not playing up to form at all.
It cannot be said they are not receiving encouragement, nor is there any inward dissension that we know of.
Arbroath had revenge for their Pittodrie defeat and went one goal better.
The Aberdeen forwards seem to have gone off their play altogether.
Burgess, the English Internationalist, is not going to the Celtic after all. We heard at Pittodrie that £1000 was wanted for him.
If it was intended to punish Manchester City for misdemeanour, it will turn out to be the opposite if they are to receive prices like these for players.
Menzies was an absentee from the United ranks on Saturday, and still they brought off a win against Middlesbrough.
There is likely to be trouble over the transfer of Burgess to Manchester United. Everton had an agreement with the City officials for his transfer, but the United have his signature. The signature is the main point, and the player must always be a consenting party to the transfer. The United have got their share of the spoils, and the only danger is that they do not get burned over them.
If all is true about the prices paid and so on, the whole question of these players and their future masters is open to investigation to see that all is right.
We learn that Aberdeen will make Bridge of Allan their headquarters during the New Year week.

Source: Bon-Accord, 13th December 1906