Dundee 0
Aberdeen 3
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

High-flying Aberdeen having now taken 11 points from their last seven games, put a distinct cutting edge on their challenge to league leaders Celtic with this decisive win at Dens Park last night.

At the same time, they stopped Dundee's best run of the season, two draws and a win-and made the relegation situation even tougher for the Dark Blues, now a point behind Airdrie with two more games played and one up on Partick Thistle with one more game played.

Manager Donald Mackay's fears about this game were realised, as an Aberdeen team which gave nothing away at the back took enough of many chances up front to win comfortably.

A black day all round for Dundee, in fact, with United out of the U.E.F.A. Cup and Dundee's recent progress halted in its tracks.

McGeachie and Glennie battled bravely for Dundee, but it was too much of an uphill struggle against a classier and more effective team for any Dark Blue to shine.

The steadiness of McLeish and Rougvie at the back, the creativity of Strachan and Simpson in midfield and the overall ability to finish were Aberdeen's plusses.

Willie Miller limped off the pitch during the second half and his leg injury required stitches after the game. He has a hole in the knee and a groin injury, the latter of which may prove the more serious; he's almost certain to miss Saturday's game against Dundee United, but it's too early to say whether he will be fit for Scotland's game against Holland next Wednesday.

Scotland Under-21 keepers Geddes and Leighton were spectators in the opening stages as both teams fussed a lot but made little happen.

But in Aberdeen's first serious attack in eight minutes they scored-and it wasn't difficult to see it coming because of hesitancy in the Dundee defence.

A Kennedy cross from the right was worked out to Strachan on the left, with the Dark Blue defenders seemingly unable to get in an effective tackle.

The ball was teed up for Simpson, who blasted home a shot from 12 yards which Geddes could barely have seen.

Six minutes later it could easily have been two. A Strachan corner on the left was ignored by the Dundee defence and no fewer than three unmarked Dons just failed to connect with the ball.

Dundee's defence was looking decidedly shaky but they weren't getting any relief from their team-mates upfield. No matter how often the front men kept switching positions they were being bottled up by Willie Miller and his fellow defenders.

One brief Dundee foray up field nearly ended in disaster at the other end.

A quick clearance from defence saw Watson break through. Left with only Geddes to beat he tried to swerve the ball round him, but the keeper managed to deflect the shot for a corner.

This was followed by two flashes of Mark McGhee. First he smashed a shot off the crossbar then he headed just over.

McGeachie, with an 18-yard shot raised the siege slightly, then Leighton had his first real save in 30 minutes from a low Mackie cross-cum-shot.

Even at that the game was still leaning heavily towards the Dundee goal.

Under pressure, Glennie had to concede a corner, then a risky Geddes punch clear was belted to safety by Fraser and Mackie hooked a dangerous cross away for a throw in.

After Murphy had eased the pressure slightly with a shot from 15 yards Aberdeen should have gone two up.

Strachan broke through and dribbled past Geddes, but his shot wasn't nearly hard enough and Cameron was able to catch up with it and force the ball clear.

Dundee started the second half with their best move of the game so far. A Mackie flick to McGeachie was touched on for Fraser to hammer in a 25-yard "dipper" which Leighton had to get down smartly to save.

Then a Cameron-Fleming Fraser-Kidd-Murphy move had the Dons defence really stretched and just after this Murphy forced a corner.

But just when it looked like the tables might be turning, came Aberdeen's second goal. And a simple affair it was.

McGhee broke clear and fired the ball in from the left. Hewitt turned on it and put it calmly past Geddes from close range.

Immediately after this Eric Sinclair appeared for the first time in six games as substitute for Jimmy Murphy.

The Dundee fans were getting restless. When McLelland couldn't find anyone to pass forward to he sent the ball back 30 yards to Geddes and was roundly booed.

Dons suffered a blow in 64 minutes when after Glennie and Miller clashed, a stretcher was called for, but after it arrived the Dons skipper was able to get up and limp to the dressing room with assistance.

He was replaced by Steve Cowan.

Dundee were trying hard to force their way into the game but there were few linking moves and the odd individual burst was unsuccessful-as for instance when Mackie crossed from the right and Fraser sliced the ball over from 3 yards.

Aberdeen showed the difference in finishing power in 73 minutes with their third goal.

Again it was simple but effective. McMaster crossed, and with the Dundee defence yet again split, Cowan guided home an unstoppable shot.

Fleming should have made the score more respectable in 80 minutes, but he ballooned the ball over the bar and three minutes later he headed over from a Sinclair cross.

Even with this though, Aber deen were well in command and producing moves Dundee could just not match.

Match report written by The Courier