Aberdeen 1
Dundee Utd 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

The trip to Pittodrie was undoubtedly our biggest test so far and the opening exchanges were in the usual mould of new firm derbies with both sides testing each other out. However, in the seventeenth minute Stewart McKimmie was sent packing after elbowing Mixu Paatelainen in the face and that incident saw the match burst into life as we tried to take advantage of our numerical superiority. Mixu Paatelainen sent an angled drive just wide of Snelder's left hand post and Connor then blocked one of the Finn's crosses. We ended a fairly even first half as the likelier side and certainly endorsed that view with a bright and breezy start to the second half.

Freddy Van Der Hoorn sent a volley narrowly wide and Darren Jackson wheeled quickly in the box but shot over. However, a goal wasn't long delayed and a neat cut-back by Alex Cleland was sent raging past Snelders by Ray McKinnon. Almost immediately Aberdeen almost equalised but Gillhaus headed a Bett cross past the goal. The Dons although down to ten men fought their way back into the game and only Billy Thomson's point-blank save from Van De Yen in the 78th minute kept us in front. Five minutes later, however, Jim Mclnally was ajudged to have used an arm as he cleared the ball from Brian Irvine and Jim Bett sent the spot-kick high into the roof of the net. That set the scene for a fast and furious finish and Aberdeen had their strong appeals for a penalty rejected after Booth went down in the box, whilst at the other end Snelders smoothed a shot by Darren Jackson after Freddy Van Der Hoorn's shot had squirmed its way through the Dons defence. Given the circumstances, however, we must consider this a point dropped rather than won.