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Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup | an historical look back | by the RedMatchday team

Aberdeen as a club were no strangers to the national competition despite their first game coming in January 1904. It was in the sedate setting of Recreation Park in Alloa that Aberdeen went down 2-1 with top scorer Charlie Mackie scoring the clubs first ever goal in the Scottish Cup.

Before 1903 the original Aberdeen had enjoyed many great games in the national competition without ever claiming victory over any of the bigger more established clubs. Aberdeen hardly enjoyed the best of preparations, playing out of the regional Northern League and having few games during the winter. However with the ambitious Jimmy Philip in charge the Aberdeen manager was keen to gauge how his side would fare against what was at that time, league opposition. Philip of course was the driving force behind the club that was to gain entry to the League a year later.

Aberdeen have without doubt carved out a fine cup tradition since those early days, but it was to take the Dons a long time before they won their first Scottish Cup. The Dons had reached the semi-final stage on six occasions in 1908, 1911, 1922, 1924, 1926 and in 1935. The 1908 semi final against Celtic attracted a record 20,000 crowd to Pittodrie and it was certainly not for the faint of heart as the Dons came so close to reaching their first final. The Celtic players were given an escort from the field at time up, as their robust tactics had not gone down well with the home support.

The Dons finally broke their semi final duck in 1937 after a deserved 2-0 win over Morton at Easter Road took them through to a Hampden date with old rivals Celtic. Not surprisingly the town was swept away with cup fever and interest in the club had never known such heights. Expectations were high as Aberdeen took on Celtic at Hampden. The general view was that Aberdeen could beat any side on their day and that they had more flair than what was regarded as an efficient if not stylish Celtic team. A British record crowd of 146,433 gathered at Hampden (another massive crowd were outside and could not get in) for the Dons big day. Aberdeen supporters made the pilgrimage by all manner of means and hopes were high of success. However it was to end in tears, as Aberdeen never got to grips with the game despite a superb goal from Matt Armstrong the Dons went down 2-1. Before the outbreak of World War Two Aberdeen tasted defeat again at the semi final stage going down 3-1 to Motherwell at Ibrox in a replay.

In 1947 as the country returned to peacetime, Aberdeen finally took the trophy north after a dramatic 2-1 win over Hibernian. The Dons road to Hampden that year began with a narrow win over Partick at Pittodrie. It was the long-serving Willie Cooper who popped up with a rare goal to send Aberdeen on their way. Cooper had been around Pittodrie since the 20’s and he was injured before the final and could not make the side. Such was his presence that the club received permission to award Cooper a special medal after the final. Aberdeen had to come from behind to win the game?a first minute mix up in the Dons defence piled the pressure on the Dons but they responded in magnificent fashion and goals from George Hamilton and Stan Williams gave Aberdeen victory. It was the Joint Station in Aberdeen that was thronging with Aberdeen supporters who welcomed their conquering heroes home. Captain Frank Dunlop took the cup on board the bus as it inched its way out of the station with a frenzied crowd looking to catch a glimpse of the players with the cup.

The side built by Dave Halliday that won the Dons first championship in 1955 endured some real heartache in the cup during the 50’s. Consecutive cup final defeats in 1953 and 1954 were hammer blows for the club, although back during those days, reaching a cup final was looked upon as successful. On their way to the 1954 final Aberdeen met Hearts at Pittodrie and a club record attendance of 45,061 filled the Dons ground. Goals from O’Neil, Hamilton and Leggat secured a memorable win and set up a semi final against Rangers who had beaten the Dons in the previous years final. Aberdeen had never beaten the Ibrox club in the cup before that day and that record was swept away as a rampant Dons hit Rangers for six without reply. It was a truly vintage performance from the Dons at Hampden with Joe O’Neil scoring three weeks after fracturing his skull in a game against Falkirk. The famed ‘Iron Curtain’ Rangers defence was cruelly exposed in a display as pace and power that made a mockery of the Dons dismal record against the Ibrox club in the cup.

Following the championship success the Dons certainly went in to decline but still managed to battle their way through to the 1959 Final. Once again it was bitter disappointment as Aberdeen tamely went down 3-1 to St Mirren. Not unlike the League Cup Final against the same St Mirren team in 1955, the Dons went in to the final as hot favourites but on the day all they had to show for their efforts was a late Hugh Baird consolation.

The early 60’s was without doubt the lowest period in the Dons cup history. In March 1963 Aberdeen went down to Raith Rovers at Starks Park in the 4th round. Raith had been rooted to foot of the table, bereft of a home win all year and the Dons had earlier beaten them 10-0 in the league at Pittodrie but it was Raith who dumped the Dons out of the cup in a shock 2-1 win. A year later it was lowly Ayr United who knocked Aberdeen out at Pittodrie before the anguish continued a year later when East Fife defeated Aberdeen at Methil in a replay. That result signaled the end for Tommy Pearson and under the Eddie Turnbull regime the Dons got back to winning ways. In 1967 the Dons welcomed Hibernian in a Pittodrie replay that attracted more than 44,000 to the game, a midweek record for Pittodrie. Aberdeen made it all the way to the final again but went down to Celtic who were on the threshold of European Cup success.

Three years later Aberdeen extracted revenge on Celtic in a memorable 3-1 win that was fairytale stuff. Derek McKay came from nowhere to stamp his name all over Aberdeen history by scoring the winning goals against Falkirk in the quarter final and against Kilmarnock in the semi final. That set up another crowd in excess of 100,000 for the Hampden final and ‘Cup-tie’ McKay scored twice in a famous Aberdeen win. Celtic were regarded as the best team in Britain as they were making their way to their second European Cup Final at the expense of the highly-rated Leeds United. However it was Aberdeen’s day and the welcome from more than 50,000 Aberdeen citizens on their return home was astonishing. The crowds lined the streets of the city and the team coach took more than two hours to make its triumphant way down Union Street for a civic welcome from the Lord Provost.

Despite Eddie Turnbull putting together one of the most formidable Aberdeen sides of all time, he was to leave the Dons in 1971 and with him went any further Aberdeen cup success. It was under Billy McNeill in his only season in charge at Pittodrie that the Dons reached their next final in 1978. It was the day the Dons ‘froze’ as Rangers capitalised and won 2-1. Aberdeen had gone 23 games undefeated before the final and had beaten Ranger 4-0 and 3-0 along the way.

Four years later Aberdeen embarked on their most productive period in the competition. Against Celtic at Pittodrie in a 4th round tie a superb overhead kick from John Hewitt was enough to ease Aberdeen through. Hewitt had also been quick of the mark in the 3rd round tie at Motherwell?scoring the winning goal in a record 9.6 seconds. The Dons went on to defeat Rangers 4-1 at Hampden on a day when a few ghosts were exorcised. It was the manner in which Aberdeen won that delighted Alex Ferguson more than anything else and that cup victory opened the door for European success a year later.

Although the 1982 final went in to extra time, it was a sign of things to come for Aberdeen as never before or since have the Dons been so clinical against any of the Old Firm at Hampden. In 1983 the Dons retained the trophy again beating Rangers with an Eric Black header. Such was the high expectations that Fergie blasted his side after the win?a statement he later regretted. The Dons were still on a high after winning the ECWC in Gothenburg, but it was still a sign of their quality that they could still beat Rangers and not be at their best. Celtic too were put to the sword twelve months later as the Dons won their third cup in a row?the only provincial side to achieve that feat since the last century and the days when Queens Park were one of the top sides in Scotland.

The Dons unbeaten run came to an end against Dundee Utd at Tynecastle in a 1985 semi final replay, but the Dons returned in 1986 to win their fourth cup in five seasons, defeating Hearts 3-0 at Hampden. While much sympathy was heaped on a Hearts team that had thrown away their chance of league glory a week earlier, it was Aberdeen who had been over the course so often in the past and they showed superb professionalism to see off a clearly despondent Hearts side.

In 1990 Aberdeen created another first when they became the only side to win the Scottish Cup on penalties. It was Theo Snelders and big Brian Irvine who emerged as the Dons heroes in a shoot out that surpassed the mediocre fare that preceded it. Irvine stepped up to slam the ball past Pat Bonner after keeper Snelders had saved from Anton Rogan. Not for the first time in a Scottish Cup Final, Aberdeen went in to the game as hot favourites as Celtic looked desperate to finish their season with at least one piece of silverware. In Hans Gillhaus and Charlie Nicholas they had one of the most potent strike forces in British football. That was the Dons last success in the Scottish Cup, their only other appearance in the Final coming in 2000 against Rangers. Aberdeen were at the bottom of the SPL under Ebbe Skovdahl and any hope of a Dons success was over as early as the 2nd minute. Jim Leighton was injured after a shocking Rod Wallace challenge and had to be replaced. With no keeper in the Aberdeen substitutes it was Robbie Winters who took over in goal. Rangers emerged as 4-0 winners in what was the Dons heaviest defeat in a Scottish Cup Final.

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