Aberdeen 0 - 1 Partick Thistle

Their Luck Was Dead Out
By NORMAN MACDONALD

THE Dons are in troubled waters. Saturday's defeat was a blow, but there is no need for pessimism.

If the players don't allow Saturday's failure to affect their morale, the danger of relegation may turn out to be more apparent than real.
Aberdeen have often played worse and fared better than they did against Partick Thistle.
It was a "smash-and-grab" victory by the Firhill club. Left winger Walker was the man who grabbed the chance and smashed the ball against the upright, whence it rebounded into the net. The goal came after sixty-five minutes' play.
It was unexpected and against he run of play. The Dons should have been ahead at the interval. A combination of bad luck and bad finishing ruined their chances.
Even after they lost the goal thev continued in the role of dictators.

Hats Off to Henderson,/p> I take off my hat to the Partick defence and to goalkeeper Henderson in particular.
How he contrived to prevent those atomic-bomb scoring shots by Harris and Waddell from entering the net in the closing twenty minutes bordered on the impossible.
Another incident in the closing stages which is still being argued is the question of the foul on Williams. Six of the Aberdeen players clustered round referee Scott, claiming that the infringement occurred inside the penalty area.
My own opinion is that if it was foul, then it must have been a penalty. I'm firmly the opinion that the incident took place inside the penalty area.

Push But Not Punch

The Dons had the push but not the punch. Although at a disadvantage territorially, Partick's tear-away tactics carried, danger.
Aberdeen's attack played some clever football. The man-to-man stuff was good, but the high power pressure wan still missing at inside forward.
A late switch which put Williams on the right wing and Harris at inside left was too late to prove effective.
Kelly, Williams and Harris were good and bad in turn. The wing half backs, Waddell and Taylor, played strong, purposeful football.
The Dons have only to play with the same abandon and buoyancy in this week's Scottish Cup-tie at Easter Road to make Hibs go all the way. They didn't get the breaks on Saturday - they may be more fortunate this week.
Aberdeen's position in the relegation racket is serious. They have eight matches to play and five of them on "foreign soil."
Of the five away from Pittodrie three of them are against clubs deeply implicated in the "life or death" struggle to retain "A" Division status - Queen the South, Hearts and Queen's Park.

Source: Press & Journal, 16th February 1948