Aberdeen 6 - 1 Dundee

The first home appearance of Willem Van Der Ark in the Premier Reserve League game against Dundee produced a very mixed bag of reactions. The tall Dutchman playing in a strong team attracted a large crowd of 1,700, marvellous for a second team fixture. And he took only half an hour to confirm to those Pittodrie loyalists that he has a big future with the club by putting Dons two goals clear. He had already used his height to good advantage to send one fine header just off target before making it second-time-lucky in nodding a 7th minute lead. His second was a true opportunist affair when he steered the ball in after the 'keeper failed to hold the ball.
Unfortunately things went sadly wrong early in the second half when he tangled with an opponent in falling awkwardly and had to go off with an ankle injury. By this time, however, the pattern of the result was well established and Davie Dodds, Paul Mason, Craig Robertson and Andy Gibson completed the rout. "The odd thing about this game was that we would have been 2-0 down early on but for a couple of fine saves by 'keeper Michael Watt," said coach Teddy Scott.
As well as the Dutchman's Pittodrie debut the game featured the appearance of Willie Miller as part of his build-up to recovery from a cartilage operation. He played for just half of the game and later it was decided that a little more work was needed on the club skipper's recovery and he went off to the Lilleshall specialist unit in Shropshire which served Neil Simpson so well.
The win over Dundee was most welcome in a period when the second team's results have been rather inconsistent. It was tough luck on the Dens Park side that they should run into opposition fielding a team which was almost up to Premier League standard. With Miller in defence and the likes of Brian Grant, Mason, John Hewitt, Dodds, Craig Robertson and Van Der Ark in midfield or attack few reserve teams would have lived with them.