Aberdeen 1 - 1 Hibernian

By NORMAN MACDONALD

ABERDEEN football enthusiasts will have their fingers crossed when the Dons tackle Celtic at Parkhead on Wednesday.
If they win they can relax. Their position in "A" Division will be assured, whatever the fate of the other clubs in their remaining fixtures.
Victory would bring the Dons’ total to twenty-seven points. Third Lanark cannot reach this total even if they win their last three matches, Motherwell, providing they can beat Aberdeen and Rangers at Fir Park, will be on the twenty-seven points mark but the Dons have the Lanarkshire team well beaten on goal average.
The Aberdeen players left this morning for a holiday at Gleneagles, but they can hardly be expected to enjoy themselves to the full while their fate as an "A" Division club is still in the balance.
Celts are the only team the Dons have to meet who have no reason to be worried unduly about the result, but that won't prevent their making a determined bid for the points.
Victories by Queen of the South and Raith Rovers on Saturday further complicated the situated at the foot of the table. A win for the Dons at Celtic Park has become essential.
Their other fixtures are against Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday and Falkirk at Brockville next Monday. The snag is that both the “Bairns” and the Lanarkshire team are also desperately In need of points to lake them into the safety zone.
The draw at Pittodrie was as unsatisfactory for Hibs as it was for Aberdeen. The loss of the point is quite liable to cost the Edinburgh team the championship flag and a place in the Coronation tournament.
There is little doubt that the players in the Hibs-Aberdeen clash were suffering from over-anxiety. From the spectators’ point of view it was a hard and often thrilling game, but the tackling was too keen on both sides for the football to reach the top standard.
In fact, so anxious were the teams that the temperature rose on the field on several occasions. Fortunately, however, none of the incidents assumed major proportions, although the referee had a word with both Allister and Howie.
Over the ninety minutes the attackers had to give best to the defenders, Young played a leading role for the Dons in preventing the Hibs front rank from moving into top gear. The centre-half generally had the situation down the middle well in hand and Reilly, Scotland’s spearhead at Wembley, was given little scope.

Not at Ease

Mitchell was the safer back. Smith did not spare himself, but he could hardly claim that he was at ease against Gordon Smith.
The Dons were a much better team against Hibs than in the cup semi-final. There was an improvement at wing half-back. Both Harris and Allister were powerful in the tackle, but in their efforts to provide a service to the forwards they too frequently delivered the ball in the air.
There was still not enough zip on the Aberdeen wings, and except in the opening stages Paterson the Easier Road centre-half, glued himself to Buckley. Hamilton and Yorston who switched positions in the second half, were the players who threatened most danger in the Dons’ front rank.

Source: Evening Express, 13th April 1953