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Christmas Day Fixtures

25 December 2021
Author red matchday team

 

The first occasion Aberdeen played on Christmas Day was in 1910 when a 3-1 win at Airdrie came with Scotland winger Willie Lennie among the goals. George McKenzie who made his one and only senior appearance for Aberdeen at Broomfield.

Five years later, a poor crowd of 2,000 turned up to see Aberdeen defeat St Mirren at Pittodrie. The country was in the midst of the Great War and the Aberdeen squad was decimated, with several of the team signing up for the war effort. The club were going through tough times as travelling was ill advised, and with the crowds dwindling by the week, Aberdeen were in a financial crisis. The win over St Mirren also saw another debut; JF Cumming played his first game that day.

In 1920, Aberdeen suffered defeat at home to Partick Thistle. Manager Jimmy Philip, who had gone full-time with the club that season, was frustrated with his side’s inconsistency. A mid-table finish was not what the Dons were looking for. Six years later, a 0-0 draw at home to Cowdenbeath followed a similar result on the opening day of the season as the Fife side made a rare appearance in the top division.

In 1937, free scoring Aberdeen struggled against Partick at Firhill. Willie Mills scored but the Black & Golds went down to a surprise 3-1 defeat. The expected challenge for the title never materialised as the Dons looked to build on their cup final and record points haul from the previous season.

1945/46 was classed as unofficial by the authorities as football returned following the end of World War 2. On Christmas Day 1945, the Dons went down against Queens Park. Jock Pattillo scored the goal in a shock 3-1 defeat. Aberdeen finished third in the Southern League that season and won the Southern League Cup, the forerunner to the current League Cup.

Two years later, Third Lanark defeated the Dons 3-2 at Cathkin Park, the Dons’ third loss in succession and against a side that were bottom of the league. It was a subdued debut for both Harry Yorston and Archie Kelly. In 1948, Aberdeen were struggling in the league. The side that won the Scottish Cup was breaking up and on Christmas Day they went down 3-0 to Celtic at Parkhead. Three first half goals were enough to register Celtic’s second home win in eleven months.

When Aberdeen won the title in 1955, they struggled to a 4-3 win at bottom club Stirling Albion along the way. Albion had only two draws to their credit all season but the Dons gifted them a two goal lead before they got their act together. Graham Leggat and Yorston levelled before the Dons eventually took the lead through Jackie Hather.

In 1965, the last time Aberdeen played at Pittodrie on Christmas Day, the Dons lost to Hibernian. Despite taking the lead through White (pictured above), Eddie Turnbull’s side were hit with a sucker punch early in the second half with three goals inside five minutes. Ernie Winchester saw his header hit the bar in a day of frustration for Aberdeen. A crowd of only 9,000 reflected the struggles the Dons faced on the pitch in the mid 60s.

In 1971, the Dons outclassed Falkirk at Brockville in an impressive 3-0 win. A double from Joe Harper made it an easy win for the Dons as they kept their challenge for the title going into the busy festive spell.

 

AFC Christmas Day Games 

Date | Opponent H/A Result Comp (Att)   

25.12.1910 | Airdrie A 3-1 Div One (2,500)

25.12.1915 | St Mirren H 2-1 Div One (2,000)

25.12.1920 | Partick H 0-3 Div One (13,000)

25.12.1926 | Cowdenbeath H 0-0 Div One (10,000)

25.12.1937 | Partick Thistle A 1-3 Div One (7,000)

25.12.1945 | Queens Park A 1-3 Div A (10,000)

25.12.1947 | Third Lanark A 2-3 Div A (8,000)

25.12.1948 | Celtic A 0-3 Div A (40,000)

25.12.1954 | Stirling Albion A 4-3 Div A (3,500)

25.12.1965 | Hibernian H 1-3 Div One (9,000)

25.12.1971 | Falkirk A 3-0 Div One (6,885)

 

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