Aberdeen 2 - 1 Dundee

At Aberdeen, before a big crowd, who were rewarded with a rousing game. The opening stages were favourable to the visitors, but they soon fell away, and the Aberdeen forwards made headway, Lawson and Lindsay shaped well at back, however, but the elusive Lennie eventually got the better of the opposition, and beat Lyall after twenty minutes' play. The advantage was short lived, however, as Comrie, after sustaining a "knock out" signalised his recovery by placing his side on an equality with a well taken goal. This proved all the scoring of the first half. The opening stages of the final period found both teams striving hard to gain the ascendancy. It was anybody's game for a time, but when McIntosh secured the advantage for the Aberdeen team the visitors seemed a beaten side. Thereafter they floundered badly. Aberdeen kept their opponents well in hand, and emerged victorious from the tussle by two goals to one.

Source: The Scotsman, 18th December 1911

A crowd estimated at well over 10,000 saw Aberdeen win their home Scottish League match on Saturday over their great northern rivals, Dundee. Though the finer points were seldom evident, due in some measure to the softish pitch, to a greater extent to the eagerness of the players, the game was hard, and the onlookers quite cut their money's worth. There was not a dull minute in the hour and a half, neither side sparing up itself to book what was at stake. Dundee had only ones left Pittodrie pointless, so that Aberdeen should return to the good graces of their supporters again, though, to tell the truth, they had terribly little to spare at any time in the match. Indeed, Wyllie twice averted almost certain disaster in the last 2 minutes, Bob Hamilton, the old internationalist, being the threatening power on each occasion. They Elgin veteran is still a force to be reckoned with, and, slower though he may be, his experience counts for much both in the open and near goal. As an opportunist, he never needs to get a glimpse of an opening.
Coming to the game itself, it started with bursts of sparkling play, first on Dundee's right, and then on Aberdeen's right, Bellamy on the one hand, and Soye on the other, leading the forward lines with pretty dribbling. Very early a corner fell to the visitors, with no result, and then Lawson, hard pressed, kicked back to Lyall. If anything, the home lot to do most of the attacking, and Main, played well with the leather, made talent attempts to Pierce the opposing defence. The centre halves dash Aitken, Dundee, and Wyllie, Aberdeen - had certainly their hands full with Main and Hamilton respectively, and each did splendidly, contriving to get their Vanguard off to good purpose, besides spoiling the concerted or individual movements of the other side. Hamilton repeatedly showed his master mind by skilful distribution of the leather, and once was on the ace of capping a pretty piece of combination, when he was brought to bay on the 12 yards lain by Wylie and Colman.

HOW THE GOALS WERE GOT.

Soye initiated the work which led to the opening goal. Main accepted the cross, and bound against Lindsay. The ball glanced to the Aberdeen left, and, after Wood had made an unsuccessful dried, Lennie stepped in and drove it home. It was a clever count, and the crowd cheered it to the echo. After this Dundee came away in strong fashion, equalised, though somewhat unexpectedly, Comrie possibly to his own surprise, finding the target with a longish drive. Greig had saved a hard one from Hamilton, and the centre, snapping the return, passed the leather out to his left half, with the result that quite justified his tactics. The feature of the remainder of the period was undoubtedly the bottling up of the Aberdeen left by Lawson, Neal, and Aitken. Do what Wood might, he could not find Lennie or even Main, every pass of his meant for the touchline or towards goal seeming to go to the foot of a Dundonian. Once the left winger did get a yard or two of rope, and then, with Lyall beaten to the world, Lindsay kicked out from underneath the bar.

With a goal apiece to their credit, the teams restarted as briskly as they had left off, with Dundee showing a lot of deft footwork - still between the right wing and the centre. Bellamy was undoubtedly the most dangerous of the quintette, and let it at once be said and he had no superior in either forward line. His two Elgin, rates backed him up well at this stage, and it was not this trio was blame that Dundee did not take the lead. As a matter of fact, Aberdeen had this honour, a shot from the left landing in goal, and McIntosh shooting through in a scrimmage after Lyall had only partially cleared. A minute or two later Lennie gave his forwards another great opportunity, the ball running across goal, and Main missing it when he seemingly had simply to touch it through. Aberdeen had only one other chance like that, and it was given by Soye, who, like Bellamy on the other side, was always worth watching. The home right winger was in fine form, and his touchline sprints and dangerous, well-timed crosses were the feature of the attack.

A BREEZY CLOSE

Aitken looked well after Main, and repeatedly let his forwards off. They were not showing so good combination as in the earlier stages, but Bellamy and Fraser had several likely rushes, and, with Hamilton never far away when the ball was in Aberdeen territory, Greig a and his backs had to look alive. They stood up stout play to the persistent trading, were now and again it was a case of almost getting the leather away anyhow. Bellamy had a brilliant shot from the penalty line, and Greig just as brilliantly saved, diving at full length to put the ball round the post. As a piece of workmanship it was second only to are rarely-taken goal by Main, who accepted a fastball from the right, and, without stopping it, who did straight and low into the net, only to have it chalked off for an infringement of the offside rule by another forward. In the closing 3 minutes Dundee had a corner and Hamilton of the chances already alluded to.
up The best men for Aberdeen were Greig, Colman, Hume, Wyllie, Soye, and Lennie. The custodian was decidedly smart between the sticks. His backs, if somewhat loose to begin with, settled down into a stout defence of combination with the assistance of Wyllie, who was easily the star of the mid division. Forward, Soye was the pick of the basket, and a thorn in the side of the opposition. Both he and Lennie gave at least one opportunity of the "dead cert" variety to the insiders to no purpose. The line, however, as a whole always looked a more effective lot near goal than the other attack, in which Bellamy and Hamilton were the best. Dundee's left wing did not shine. Aitken was in a class by himself at centre-half, and Lawson and Lindsay were quite as staunch as Hume and Colman; while in goal while played well - albeit he once showed an inclination to rove from his charge with almost fatal result.

Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal, 18th December 1911