Rangers 3 - 1 Aberdeen

Although the equaled the home team's score at half-time and had a strong breeze in their favor in the second period, Aberdeen failed to improve upon their advantage, and Rangers beat them at Ibrox by 3 goals to 1. There was little narrative about all three goals which Rangers secured, yet they were by far the superior team, easily deserving of their victory, and that, too, in spite of the fact that they were without such players as Lock, Reid, Gault, Bennett, and Smith. Against the wind in the first half Aberdeen were dour defenders. The half-backs and backs played very strongly, and seldom allowed the home forwards to settle. Although this was so, your attic shooting on their part lost the Light Blues several favourable opportunities of scoring. The Aberdeen forwards were seldom in evidence, although H. Murray on the left wing executed some brilliant dribbles, and sent over several well-timed centres, which were not improved upon. Milne, too, helped Aberdeen to attack, and once he was shouldered off by Logan when he looked like getting through. Twenty-five minutes had passed before a cross by Logan glanced off Goodwin past Greig and into the net. After this the Rangers attacked persistently, but Aberdeen continued to show a superb defence. Hume and Wilson both saved brilliantly below the bar, but slackness on the part of the Rangers' attack lost and for the chances of scoring. Will close on the interval, when main looked least like doing so, Aberdeen equalised. Milne broke away on his own, and, brushing passed Logan and Robertson, he scored a brilliant goal, and enabled Aberdeen to cross over on level terms.

THE FALLING OFF

Hopes for an Aberdeen victory were bright, but as it turned out, the sides signally failed to take advantage of the gale behind them. The half-backs, who had done so well in the first half, failed to maintain their form. On the other hand Rangers' attack improved greatly, and they were a transformed side in this period. The Aberdeen half-back line were almost entirely at their mercy, and the Light Blues' forwards repeatedly brushed them aside with little effort. The Pittodrie rear division, Colman and Hume, however, were in brilliant form, and time and again they save their side from disaster. Rangers got their second goal when Patterson crossed the ball which Greig came out to meet. The custodian misjudged badly, and allowed the ball to pass through between his legs, Bowie helping it into the net. Aberdeen's attack was but seldom in evidence, Murray and Milne being the only two to show signs of danger. The culminating point came when Wilson filed Parker within the penalty area, and Parker himself taking the kick easily beat Greg. Aberdeen rallied slightly near the close, but they always met their masters, and in the end the Pittodrie side were well beaten.

Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal, 30th December 1912