Aberdeen 1 - 4 Falkirk

McVean Gave Logan Far Too Much Room: Backs at Fault

MR DAVID HALLIDAY, the Aberdeen manager, was in Belfast for the Inter-League 'National on Saturday, and he was doubtless shocked to hear that the Dons had been beaten 4-1 at home by Falkirk.

He could scarcely have been more surprised than the 15,000 Pittodrie spectators who saw the home team dominate the first half and then receive a lesson in the art of scoring goals.
A penalty goal by Pearson in the twenty-eighth minute was all that Aberdeen had to show for their first half superiority, but they had built up such a territorial advantage that it seemed only a matter of time before they settled the issue.
Falkirk's second-half display of fast, open football dispelled any such notions. The home defence, which had looked safe early on, didn't reveal the same composure when Aikman and Logan started scheming.
In some of their earlier games the Dons have given the impression of going down without a struggle. That certainly wasn't the case here, but results count, and they still failed in the all-important function of getting goals or stopping the other fellows from getting them.
In their last three home matches Aberdeen have conceded twelve goals and scored seven without being on the winning side. There will have to be a sudden, all-round improvement if the team is going to fight clear of the lower reaches of the table.
Falkirk's first-time defensive tactics looked crude at times, but they paid dividends. If some of the Aberdeen defenders had taken a tip from the Brockville men there might have been a different story to tell.
Both Massie and Emery were slow in going to tackle and prone to be caught out of position.
McVean looked the part in attack, but when Falkirk got on top, the right half left Logan far too much room in which to operate.

McLaughlin Best

McLaughlin was the most successful member of the Aberdeen rearguard, probably because he adopted the same methods as Falkirk.
Harris and Hamilton were best in a home attack which had little to show for a hard afternoon's work. Many of the moves broke down when Williams got the ball. The Springbok again proved no match for the lanky Henderson who was ably supported in defence by McPhee, Whyte and Fiddes.
Aikman and Logan, especially the latter, were the live wires in Falkirk's second-half revival. The inside left was on the spot to shoot home two minutes after the restart when Johnstone could only knock down a fierce close-range try by Inglis.

Offside Appeal

When Aikman scored a second goal five minutes later the referee consulted a linesman when the home players appealed for offside. The point was allowed to stand, and shortly afterwards what appeared to be a legitimate goal by Logan was chalked off.
The Falkirk man had his revenge in the thirtieth minute when he beat Massie and Waddell before shooting the third goal. The veteran, Ken Dawson, was little in the picture, but four minutes from time he took a pass from his partner, transferred the ball to his right foot, and gave the home keeper absolutely no chance.

Source: Press & Journal, 8th November 1948

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