DONS WIN HANS DOWN
Aberdeen v Hearts 1990 Scottish Cup

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March 1990; the cold war was rapidly coming to an end, the introduction to the poll tax led to riots in London, The Stone Roses were at their peak, Scottish sport enjoyed one of its best moments and Aberdeen fans were being treated to some Dutch delight…..

Under Alex Smith and Jocky Scott the Dons had built up a side that was full of style and flair and were still regarded as one of the most accomplished sides in British football. In the opening rounds Aberdeen came through a potentially difficult tie at Firhill where Dutch striker Willem Van der Ark weighed in with a hat trick in a comfortable 6-2 win. Morton provided far tougher opposition in the next round at Pittodrie but a late Hans Gillhaus goal proved decisive. That win set up a quarter final clash against hearts at Pittodrie. The Dons had already tasted success that season with a win over Rangers in the League Cup Final and the race for the championship was a straight battle between the Dons and their Ibrox rivals.

Manager Alex Smith was delighted with the draw: “It is a great draw for us, another home tie, a sell out and a chance to get rid of Hearts from the competition. My first reaction was that we could not ask for anything more than a home tie. Our players will really look forward to this one. We should have beaten them here a couple of weeks ago but allowed them to sneak a draw. Now we have a great chance to put them out and progress in the cup, there will be some atmosphere for the tie.”

Hearts were rightly viewed as dangerous opponents but the draw was also about the worst they could have hoped for although the Edinburgh side might have had one eye on taking the tie back to Tynecastle. The Pittodrie tie on 17th March 1990 was an all-ticket affair and it was a real sporting day in the country with the quarter finals being played as the Scotland rugby union side was blazing a trail of their own with a sensational Grand Slam win over England.

Many people rightly looked upon Hearts as a good outside bet for the cup but Aberdeen knew with home advantage that they could continue their quest for a domestic cup double. One surprising omission from the Aberdeen side was veteran skipper Willie Miller but he had been struggling with a persistent knee injury and Smith decided not to take a chance on his fitness.

Aberdeen got off to a dream start when Jim Bett scored after seven minutes. Hans Gillhaus began with a flourish and he sent Jim Bett away down the right and in the clear. From a tight angle the Scotland midfielder sent a low shot across keeper Smith and in off the base of the post. That goal set Aberdeen up for a period of domination that suggested they were really up for the game.

Hearts were stunned and they response was slow as their first effort at the Dons goal was not until the 30th minute. It was at that point that the Edinburgh side enjoyed their best spell of the game and they levelled on 38 minutes.

There was a hint of controversy as a blunder by referee Syme allowed Hearts to equalise. It was John Colquhoun who scored after a corner was awarded instead of a goal kick for the Dons. Perhaps a sense of injustice prevailed after that, but there was no doubt that decision spurred Aberdeen on to victory.

Hearts defence had been heralded as one of the best in the country and with defenders McPherson and Levein expected to play a vital role in the Scotland squad that would go to the World Cup in Italy, they were seen as a tough obstacle to break down. However in the Aberdeen front line was their ace in the pack; Dutch World Cup man Hans Gillhaus was enjoying the best part of his career back then and he gave the Hearts rearguard a torrid time of it and it was Gillhaus who was instrumental in the three late goals that ripped the Tynecastle side apart in the second half.

A slick move in 71 minutes opened the floodgates. Stewart McKimmie broke through on the left and his cross was met by Charlie Nicholas whose deft touch allowed Gillhaus to sweep the ball past a helpless Henry Smith in the Hearts goal. The visitors may still have been looking for draw, but those plans were swept aside by a fluent Aberdeen side that set about putting the tie out of reach. Four minutes later the Dons achieved their objective when they scored a third goal. Gillhaus was again involved and he knocked down a Bett corner into the path of Brian Irvine who slotted the ball into the corner of the net. In a whirlwind finish it was man of the match Gillhaus who crowned a fantastic display by setting up Charlie Nicholas with a fourth Dons goal after 83 minutes. It was no more than Aberdeen deserved in a display of skill and pace that Hearts simply could not handle. The packed Pittodrie crowd were in real joyful mood as the sizeable Hearts support began to leave long before the final whistle. There were five bookings in the game, Alex McLeish for throwing the ball at a linesman after the dreadful corner kick award, Jim Bett and David McCreery for squaring up after a midfield clash, Robertson of Hearts for dissent and Walter Kidd of Hearts for barging Gillhaus; one of the few occasions he got that close to the flying Dutchman.

Gillhaus looked forward to plenty of action with Aberdeen before he could concentrate on playing for Holland: “It was a great performance, the kind you expect from a top team like us. I would compliment our back four as well as they were superb after losing a few goals recently.”

Aberdeen manager Alex Smith was delighted with the high tempo his team played at and the superb atmosphere inside the ground: “We were well ahead of Hearts and ran out convincing winners. We took the initiative from the start and with the crowd behind us we really gave hearts a hard time of it. We were solid at the back and gave them no incentive to attack us and up front with Hans and Charlie, there is not many defences in Britain could cope with them when they are in that kind of form. Hearts had three Scotland defenders in their side but could not handle us on the day.”

Hearts manager Alex MacDonald was disappointed but honest in his post-match assessment: “Aberdeen scored at vital times and you can’t take anything away from them. We just weren’t there on the day.”

After the game the Dons discovered that they would face New Firm rivals Dundee Utd in the semi final after they had edged out Hibernian. The likely venue for the tie was Dens Park and both Aberdeen and United would have been happy with that, but with Dundee due to play a relegation game with St Mirren on the due date, the SFA switched the tie to Tynecastle. Dundee boss Gordon Wallace voiced concerns that his side would have to make way for the semi final in such a critical game for his side and the SFA were sympathetic to the Dundee managers’ plight.

Aberdeen; Mimms, McKimmie, Irvine, McLeish, Connor, Mason, Grant, Bett, Van der Ark, Nicholas, Gillhaus. Subs; Robertson, Cameron.     
Hearts; Smith, Kidd, Levein, McPherson, McKinlay, Berry, McCreery, Bannon, Colquhoun, Robertson, Crabbe. Subs; Mackay, Foster.
Attendance; 22,500 

THE ROAD TO HAMPDEN 1990
 

Also in the News: March 1990

11 March – Lithuania declares independence from the Soviet Union with the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania.
12 March – Soviet soldiers begin leaving Hungary under terms of an agreement to withdraw all Soviet troops by June 1.
15 March – The first high speed (T1) transatlantic Internet connection is made over the TAT-8 fiber optic cable between CERN and Cornell University, allowing faster Internet communication between North America and Europe.
15 March – East Germany holds its first free elections.
17 March – A famous day in the history of Scottish sport as rugby in Scotland enjoyed its finest hour. For the first ever time both Scotland and England headed into the final game of the Five Nations unbeaten. Whilst the Dons and Hearts did battle at Pittodrie, at Murrayfield Scotland, set in amongst a backdrop of nationalistic fever, defied all the odds to beat the much fancied and hyped English side thanks to some heroic defending and some poor decision making from Will Carling. As news of the result came through at half time at Pittodrie, both sets of supporters celebrated and joined in a chorus of ‘Flower of Scotland’ before the second half hostilities resumed.
26 March – The 62nd Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, with Driving Miss Daisy winning Best Picture.
30 March -After its first free elections on March 18, the Estonian SSR declares the Soviet rule to have been illegal since 1940 and declares a transition period for full independence.
31 March – “The Second Battle of Trafalgar”: A massive anti-poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London, turns into a riot; 471 people are injured, and 341 are arrested.