Aberdeen 4 - 0 Bon Accord

The Aberdeen A and Bon-Accord met last night at Pittodrie in the final round of the Rhodesia Cup competition. There was a fairly large week-night crowd, the gate money drawn amounting to £8. The teams were:-

Aberdeen A: Macfarlane; Willox, Brebner; W. Low, Smith, Robertson; Knowles, Cruickshank, Edgar, Caie, Jaffrey.
Bon-Accord: Graham; Lockhart, Craig; Bell, Anderson, Davidson; McAuley, R. Taylor, Lawrie, Simpson, H. Taylor.
Referee - Mr. Davidson, Arbroath.

Shortly after the game started there was a heavy shower of rain, and against the rain and a stiff breeze the Bons had to contend. The ground team took a long time to settle down; indeed during the first half the Bon-Accord eleven had much the better of the outfield work, only the stern tackling and sure kicking of the Aberdeen backs, Brebner and Willox, keeping the Bon-Accord sharpshooters off the mark. Against the fast, eager Bon-Accord forwards, who lashed the ball ahead, and used ever ounce of energy in them, the Pittodrie half-backs presented a very broken and shaky front. For Aberdeen, Caie had hard lines, a shot from his foot striking the crossbar. Play slackened as the game proceeded, and much amusement was afforded the spectators by Macfarlane, who paid a visit to midfield to meet the ball. McAulay, the Bon-Accord outside right, almost did the trick with a rocket shot, which was just the least bit wide. The Bons worked hard, and in the prolonged pressure the Aberdeen backs had their work cut out for them, but they stood up heroically to the task. Edgar, in the centre-forward position, did little for the A team in the first half, but Knowles and Jaffrey, the outside fliers, made several dashing attempts to force the attack, but with little success, the Bon-Accord backs and half-backs playing steadily and determinedly. There was no scoring in the first half, although the Bon-Accord, on play, ought to have had a goal or two.

In the second half a remarkable change came over the game, the Aberdeen A team waking up and running through their opponents, who went all to pieces. The Aberdeen half-backs, and Wilfred Low in particular, played in dashing style, and, well supported by Willox and Brebner, their tackling and placing was most effective. Edgar took his share of the play, and the A team forwards, working well together, trickily and with dash, gave the Bon-Accord half-backs and backs no rest. So keen were the A forwards that a goal was bound to come, and come it did. Edgar was making for the Bon-Accord goal in no uncertain style, when he was roughly brought down just outside the penalty line. Low took the kick, and placed neatly to Cruickshank, who drove hard and low into the corner of the net. Aberdeen got their goal as the result of a penalty. Edgar, who was receiving close attention, was again the victim of foul tactics, this time inside the line. Willox took the kick, and made no mistake about it, the goalkeeper never seeing the ball until it lay in the net. Although somewhat lucky in having thus early secured a two-goal lead, there was no mistaking the earnestness of the play of the A team after the second goal had been scored. The Bons simply could not make headway. Edgar was almost through when he was knocked off, but the ball did not go far, for Robertson pounced upon it, and drove it hard into the net, giving Graham no chance to save. The game in the closing stages was played in semi-darkness, the ground team continuously hovering round the Bon-Accord goal. Edgar who had worked hard for a goal, was made happy before the whistle blew, for in a scrimmage he drove the ball into the net, thus scoring the A Team's fourth goal.

Source: Aberdeen Daily Journal, 21st April 1905