PART 2 | Autumn to Winter

In the earlier part of the season the Dons struggled to keep in touch at the top with some indifferent results – the opening day was a case in point as they went down to a late Partick Thistle goal at Firhill.

Inconsistency had to be ironed out at an early stage and after a narrow defeat at Greenock on 8th September, the Dons then faced a critical phase in the season with a hectic four game spell with Rangers to be faced in the league and league cup, followed by Celtic and a UEFA Cup tie against Frankfurt.

The Dons got off to the best possible start with a convincing 3-1 win over Rangers at Pittodrie in the Premier Division, a sweet moment for Aberdeen substitute Doug Rougvie who arrived on to the field like a gladiator ready to do battle. Big Doug, backed by a noisy home support did not disappoint as he immediately waded into Rangers Derek Johnstone, a vengeful moment after their clash in the previous season’s League Cup Final.

Rougvie completed a memorable day for the Dons by scoring the third goal from all of two yards.

Three days later, Aberdeen were held in a 1-1 draw by an impressive Eintracht Frankfurt side in the opening round of the UEFA Cup.

UEFA CUP

Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson had a long-term admiration for German football. When the Dons were drawn against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1979 UEFA Cup, he would get a first-hand look at one of the top Bundesliga sides.

Ferguson looked forward to the clash; “We could have got an easier draw for sure. Eintracht are a top club with some great players, but it will be their technical approach that we will need to compete with. Some of my team have got some European experience and we will have learned from going out to Dusseldorf last season. We will have them watched and we will prepare in the proper way. Frankfurt present a huge challenge for us.”

Eintracht had a great tradition in Europe, most notably in defeat against the wonderful Real Madrid side in the 1960 European Cup Final at Hampden. The game which ended in a 7-3 win for Madrid is still regarded by many as the best game ever played. The German side boasted no less than six full internationalists in their side and one of them, Cha Bun Kun, the South Korean winger put Frankfurt ahead in 13 minutes after he was fortunate to latch on to a stray Holzenbein header.

Aberdeen more than held their own against what was top class opposition and it was Joe Harper who levelled for the Dons in 52 minutes. The Dons striker turned and twisted in the box to score to keep Aberdeen in the tie.

Aberdeen; Clark, Kennedy, Considine, Sullivan, Garner, Miller, Strachan, Archibald, Harper, McMaster, Scanlon.
Eintracht; Funk, Muller, Neuberger, Korbel, Pezzey, Lorant, Holzenbein, Trapp, Lottermann, Grabowski, Cha Bum Kun

Attendance; 20,000

In the return meeting in Frankfurt the Dons turned in a superb performance that stunned their hosts but were ultimately knocked out when a goal from Holzenbein in 50 minutes was enough to put the Germans through. Aberdeen had chances, most notably when Gordon Strachan forced Funk into a desperate save while John McMaster looked certain to score but his close-range effort was cleared off the line.

Manager Ferguson was disappointed but full of praise for his players; “On reflection they shaded the tie over the two legs but to go out tonight was no disgrace. Frankfurt showed us what they were all about and they have a great chance to go all the way. However, we matched them over the two ties and our performance tonight gives me some real optimism for the future. We will learn from this and improve, be in no doubt about that.”

In between the UEFA Cup ties, Aberdeen faced Celtic at home in the league.

They proved tough opponents at Pittodrie. In the first meeting at Pittodrie Aberdeen went down 2-1 in what was a bruising encounter that saw Celtic midfielder Tommy Burns sent off. Aberdeen scored through Gordon Strachan, but it was not enough on the day. Manager Ferguson thought his side deserved better; “We dominated for long spells, but we got to involved in the individual battles that Celtic seemed to favour. It has been a tough spell for us, but we are a better side that what we saw today. I though Strachan was excellent; despite the attention he was getting from our opponents.”

The League Cup set up that season saw ties played on an home and away basis. Aberdeen certainly did it the hard way beating Rangers in both legs in what were controversial ties. In the first meeting at Pittodrie the Dons deservedly won 3-1 with centre backs McLeish and Garner both scoring as well as Harper. Some personal battles spilled over in the return leg at a fervered Ibrox as tempers frayed. Aberdeen kept their cool and goals from Strachan and Harper consigned Rangers to a thumping 5-1 aggregate defeat. That set up a revenge mission for the Dons as they came up against Celtic in November.

ARCHIBALD TREBLE

In the days when the League Cup format was changed on a regular basis the Dons 1979 campaign may have ended with a bitter defeat, they certainly had a tremendous run to the final with double victories over both Celtic and Rangers along the way.

Manager Alex Ferguson was keen to see his side battle it out on all fronts; “There is no doubt we are under pressure with so many big games coming up but that is the way we like it. It is a huge challenge and we will be ready.” Celtic as ever provided a tough obstacle and the stage was set for two classic encounters.

If there was any doubt that Celtic would defend against the Dons and hope to finish the tie in Glasgow those thoughts were diminished in the opening minute when Celtic took the lead after some indecision in the Aberdeen penalty area allowed Icelandic international Edvaldsson in to open the scoring. Despite that setback, the Dons did not panic. Aberdeen were certainly a side that played on the offensive and they came right back into the tie after six minutes. A good move from inside the Dons own half ended with Steve Archibald firing a low shot past Latchford to even things up.

At that point Aberdeen began to impose themselves on Celtic playing a high pressing game. Backed by the big crowd the Dons went ahead just on the half hour when Archibald scored his second with a great header to put Aberdeen ahead. This was certainly no game for the faint of heart as both sides were fully committed with some fierce challenges going in from both sides. Gordon Strachan was displaying all his craft and guile and he tested Latchford on a couple of occasions as the Dons looked to extend their lead. Bobby Clark also had to be alert when Provan went clear.

Aberdeen looked to take a giant step into the semi-finals on the hour when Steve Archibald completed a sensational hat trick when his right foot shot put Aberdeen 3-1 ahead. Archibald completed the perfect hat trick with right foot, head and left foot to leave Celtic struggling to keep up with a rampant Aberdeen. The Dons went close to extending their lead when Harper tested Latchford.
Celtic shocked the Dons in 70 minutes when a rare break saw Provan score to keep Celtic in the tie. Despite Aberdeen piling on the pressure in the closing stages, the visitors held on to ensure a dramatic conclusion in the second leg in Glasgow.

Manager Ferguson was happy enough with his side; “I thought we deserved the win and to be honest it should have been more emphatic. Steve was brilliant; that’s what he is all about, he comes alive in the penalty box and he strikes panic in defenders. The second game is three weeks away so we have plenty to do before then but all I asked from my players was to take a lead to protect down there. They did that and I am confident of taking this team anywhere with a lead, slender as it is.”

Aberdeen went on to finish the job at Celtic Park with a 1-0 win after Mark McGhee scored the only goal. McGhee replaced Joe Harper whose injury was the one that eventually had an impact on his playing career. Harper had been such a vital part of the Aberdeen side, although in the latter part of his career he was still finding the net for Aberdeen. The injury at Celtic proved to be more serious than at first thought and although Joe made a brief comeback in April 1981 it was to signal the end of a marvellous career for the Dons record scorer.

It was revealed some years later that Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson demanded that hat trick star Steve Archibald return the match ball the morning after the game. Archibald duly obliged later on when he apparently opened the door to Fergie’s office and hammered the ball in off the ceiling without entering his office.

Aberdeen; Clark, Kennedy, Considine, Garner, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Archibald, Harper, McMaster, Scanlon. Subs Jarvie, Bell.

Celtic; Latchford, Sneddon, McGrain, Aitken, MacDonald, MacLeod, Edvaldsson, Provan, Conroy, McAdam, Doyle. Subs; Lennox.

Scorers; Aberdeen; Archibald 3, Celtic; Edvaldsson, Provan

Attendance; 24,000

Referee; G Smith

Winter of Discontent

Consistency would be required to sustain a league challenge and despite defeating Rangers at Pittodrie in September, Aberdeen’s Achilles heel was some of the lesser lights as a 3-2 defeat against Morton at Cappielow was soon followed by a dropped point at St Mirren.

Aberdeen did offer some glimpses of what was to come with a 4-0 hammering of Dundee at Dens Park, but consecutive home defeats against Dundee United and Morton suggested that Aberdeen would be well off the pace.

By December the Dons were in fourth place, six points behind Celtic and shock early pace setters Morton.

Aberdeen were committed on four fronts and progress was made in the League Cup.

Both Rangers and Celtic were defeated by the Dons at home and away as the cup seemed destined for Pittodrie that year, especially after bogey side Morton were defeated 1-0 in the semi-final at a sparsely populated Hampden.

That was to change on a cold night in December when Aberdeen hit the lowest point of their season by allowing Dundee United to claim their first major trophy in the replay of the League Cup Final at Dens.

It was a bitter disappointment for the club – having already knocked out both halves of the Old Firm, Aberdeen had every right to expect success but in the first game at Hampden the Dons let United off the hook and their chance of glory had gone.

It was all the more difficult to accept as finalists Dundee Utd were handed an easy draw to the Final. Worse still for the Dons was that they dominated the Hampden final but just could not find the net despite coming close on numerous occasions in dreadful conditions.

It was a harsh lesson and one which Ferguson insisted would not happen again.

Whether or not that defeat gave Aberdeen the incentive to go on the league title is still open to debate, but there was little doubt that there was renewed vigour about the Dons after they emerged from one of the harshest winters ever seen in the north east. Between the middle of November and the beginning of February, the Dons only managed to play four matches and there was now a real concern as to a backlog of fixtures.

Due to their heavy cup commitments, Aberdeen had only played 15 of their 36 league games before the New Year.