Dundee 2 - 3 Aberdeen

But Have to Fight Hard to Account for Crippled Dundee Side

FALLOON KEEPS STRANGLEHOLD ON REID AT CENTRE

After leading comfortably for the greater part of the game. Aberdeen had to fight every inch of the way to beat a crippled Dundee in the semi-final of the Dewar Shield at Dens Park last night.
Twenty minutes from the end, when they were two goals in arrears, Dundee saw their centre-half, Evans, carried off on a stretcher with a badly twisted knee.
From this point the Dundonians seemed to throw off the lethargy which had characterised their earlier play. Their ten men took only two minutes to score. Aberdeen replied with a rather lucky counter which Marsh misjudged badly and before the end Dundee got another direct from a free-kick.
Only grand defensive work, chiefly by Falloon and McGill, prevented the plucky homesters drawing level.
Both teams were considerably under strength. Internationals Armstrong and Mills, as well as Fraser, and Thomson, were missing from the Aberdeen ranks, while Dundee rested Guthrie, Smith and Coats, and Gilmour was absent injured.

Lang's Two

Aberdeen were the more business-like combination from the start, and they took the lead in ten minutes. Lang gained possession in midfield, and after travelling some distance, parted to McKenzie. Rennie was caught in two minds and allowed Lang to gain possession and score with a great drive.
The Dundee defence, which, excepting Marsh and Russell, consisted of recent importations from the junior ranks, lacked the speed and judgment to cope with the flashy Aberdeen forwards, and the outcome was another Lang goal in twenty minutes. Benyon did the spade work, and although Marsh fisted clear, the left winger swept the ball into the net before the big keeper could recover.

Falloon and Beynon Shine

Falloon's stranglehold of deputy centre Reid was largely responsible for the impotence of the Dundee forwards, of whom only Kirby threatened any real danger. Benyon was a constant thorn in the flesh of the Dundee defence, and he was unlucky with a lob into goal which Evans headed clear on the line.
Crossing over with a two-goal lead, Aberdeen looked well set for a substantial victory, and this impression was not lessened by the spineless work of the Dundee forwards. Individual efforts by Reid and Phillips did not find Westland wanting.
But much more dangerous was another lob by Benyon which beat Marsh completely, struck the post, and came back into play.
The light was failing badly at this stage, and with it seemed to be going Aberdeen's reserve of strength. Except for occasional raids by the wingers, the forwards were little tin he picture.

Evans Carried Off

Twenty minutes from the end Evans came down in a tackle and was carried off on a stretcher. Dundee carried on with Russell as centre-half and Phillips on his left.
The depleted Dundee team rallied wonderfully, and only two minutes after Evans was carried off Reid took advantage of a faulty pass-back to scramble the ball past Westland.
Reid and Innes were limping, and with Russell stretched helpless on the ground after stopping the ball with his body, Dundee were in anything but good shape when McKenzie restored Aberdeen's two-goal advantage with a shot from thirty yards.
Marsh misjudged the ball altogether, probably because had one eye on his injured colleague. Dundee had only themselves to blame as Russell was down for fully a minute and they neglected several opportunities to put the ball out of play.
This further misfortune only spurred Dundee to greater effort, and eleven minutes from the end, from a free-kick just outside the penalty area, Robertson put the ball in the back of the net.

Two Tired Teams

Dundee were the better of two tired teams in the closing minutes, but the class of the Aberdeen defence told its tale. Westland. McGill, Falloon, and Lang were the pick of the winners, while Marsh, Richards, Evans and Kirby were outstanding in a very ordinary Dundee team. Evans's injured leg will be x-rayed today.

Gate, £170. Aberdeen meet Falkirk in the home-and-home final.

Source: Press & Journal, 3rd October 1935