St. Mirren 2 - 0 Aberdeen

St Mirren won with plenty in hand against Aberdeen at Paisley. The wonder was that St Mirren did not finish more than two goals up. The play of the local team greatly delighted their supporters, for, owing to injuries, &c., the Saints' forward rank was made up principally of the "A" team men. Evans, who has been selected to fill the place of the transferred Lawson, was one of the outstanding successes of the team. The Aberdeen halves were weak, and this allowed the Love Street men to move with greater freedom. Although beaten twice, Blackwell played a good game for Aberdeen in goal. The St Mirren goals were scored by Smellie and Thomson, the former netting in the first half, and Thomson fifteen minutes from the close. The attendance was round about 7000.

Source: The Scotsman, 19th November 1923

Aberdeen were well beaten at Paisley, where St Mirren inflicted upon them a 2-0 defeat. On the run of the game, the Pittodrie team got off cheap; indeed it would more truly have repre wards[incomplete sentence in P&J]. These turned up trumps, and the margin of victory been doubled[as printed in P&J]. Aberdeen played the same eleven for the fourth successive Saturday, but St Mirren introduced three reserve forwards. These turned up trumps, and the winners gave the most impressive display of any St Mirren team this season. The weather was far from being ideal for football. Before and during the game there were heavy showers of sleet and rain, and on a treacherous surface the heavy and greasy ball added to the difficulties of the players. There were 6000 spectators. St Mirren adapted themselves much better to the conditions. Their half-backs never let the Aberdeen attack get out of hand, while the Paisley forwards worked with individual and collective cleverness that puzzled the Aberdeen middle division, who, unable to get the ball themselves, were consequently unequal to giving any assistance, to their own forwards. The Aberdeen backs and goalkeeper had to bear the brunt of the work, and to the backs especially, and Forsyth in particular, is due the fact that only two goals were conceded.

INJURY TO MOIR.

In the course of the second half Moir was accidentally kicked above the left eye by Hamilton, and required to have the wound stitched. Despite his injury, he quickly returned to play out the game. There were two brief periods in the game when Aberdeen could be said to have held their own. This was in the opening ten minutes of the game and in the five minutes following the interval. At other times the St Mirren attackers were rampant. They brushed aside the Aberdeen half-backs as if these did not exist, and it was little short of a miracle that more goals were not registered. On the Aberdeen side Blackwell saved many good shots, but the two balls that beat him might have been cleared, especially the second. Forsyth was the best back on the field, and along with Hutton (the latter despite injury) put up a heroic defence. Twice Forsyth when below the crossbar averted what must have been certain goals after Blackwell had been beaten, and Hutton on at least one occasion stopped a ball that must have found the net. The half-backs were weak, MacLachlan being easily the best of the trio. The forwards were disjointed, only Miller and Moir showing anything like the form required to win matches, and they were very inadequately supported.

ABERDEEN GET OFF LIGHTLY.

Two shots by Miller, one by Rankin, and an occasional centre from Smith and Moir represented the only work Bradford had to deal with in the goal, and he was really never in difficulties. Findlay and Hamilton were two vigorous backs, whose hefty tactics seemed to knock the life out of the Aberdeen attack. They did not give the impression of being too safe, but had really occasion to get into difficulties. In a capital half-back line, Summers was outstanding, both in attack and defence, and it was due to his strong tackling and fine backing up that the St Mirren attack was so conspicuous throughout. The forwards worked with rare precision. Not only did they reveal cleverness of movement, but their ball control was far ahead of that of the Aberdeen attack. Evans, who took the place of Lawson at outside right, gave a brilliant display. Speedy and dashing he introduced great variety in his play. The credit for the second goal belonged to him. On the run, he sent in a great shot from near the touch line. Blackwell jumped to the ball and brought it down to fall on the top of it, and in a tussle Thomson kicked it out of his possession into the net. This was midway through the second half. Smillie at inside right was the best inside forward on the field. Repeatedly he "drew' the opposition to let colleagues away, and opened the scoring for his side three minutes before the interval. Clunas at left half sent in a hard shot, and the ball struck Blackwell's body to rebound to Smillie, who ran in and scored before the outstretched Blackwell, who had fallen, could regain his feet. Whitelaw was a clever leader, his accurate passing contributing largely to the smooth working of the attack. The left wing of McIntosh and Thomson was often prominent, but not quite so dangerous as the right, this being due to Thomson's tendency to shoot and miss in preference to having the ball crossed in front of goal. Aberdeen could not complain of ill luck in a game which, except for the short periods mentioned, they were outplayed from start to finish.

Source: Press & Journal, 19th November 1923