The only thing more annoying about Pittodrie than the toxically enhanced two-ton seagulls is the fact that the Pars always seem to come away with sweet FA!
In fact the only good thing about the four thousand mile trip to Pittodrie was the piping hot steak pies which, for a while at least, managed to quell the pain from the fierce North Sea wind. After paying a small fortune to get in to the game – the twenty quid admission fee was nothing short of scandalous by the way! – you could be forgiven for expecting slightly more than the dross which was served up by a Pars side clearly lacking in direction. To be honest I’ve known of less painful lobotomies (lobotomy?…isn’t that the Pars right back?!) than what was on show by the Pars at times in this particular fixture.
Going in to the game with a squad thinner than an Aberdonian’s giro, the Pars starting lineup took on a slightly different look than recent weeks. Taking to the field in a surprising 3-5-2 formation, the only changes to Wednesday night’s starting eleven saw Billy Mehmet and Simon Donnelly replacing the injured Craig Brewster and Derek Young respectively. A pleasant surprise for Pars fans saw Andy Tod revert back to his favoured position at centre-half as opposed to the centre forward which the big man has failed to adapt to in recent weeks.
With the Pars – by his own admission – surprising Calderwood with their 3-5-2 it was the visitors who started the more aggressive of the two sides in their attacking play, a Barry Nicholson cross causing much upheaval in the home side’s penalty area. It was to be the Dons who would muster up the first real effort on goal however, with the returning Noel Whelan firing in a weak effort in the 7th minute after some decent defending from Andy Tod, Derek Stillie untroubled by the shot. With the Pars winning next to nothing in the air up against the commanding partnership of Zander Diamond and Russell Anderson, the Pars would have some joy after an excellent passing move shortly after. After getting on the end of a Nicholson through ball, Aaron Labonte was cynically brought down by Derek Adams on the angle of the home side’s eighteen yard box after the youngster had easily beaten the ex-Motherwell midfielder for pace. With Adams earning a deserved booking, a quick Thomas Butler free-kick went as far as Nicholson who could only strike a fierce effort far wide of David Preece’s left hand post.
With the game becoming more and more open as the minutes went by, Stillie was called into action for the Pars after an almost fatal mistake by Scott Wilson in the 18th minute. A poor Wilson pass, intended for Andy Tod, was intercepted by Whelan who managed to burst through on goal before seeing his effort brilliantly saved by Stillie in the Pars goal, Whelan sending his close range rebound wide of the target. The Pars replied two minutes later by threatening Preece’s goal yet again after good play, once again, down the right hand side. Aaron Labonte’s right-footed cross found Billy Mehmet in space in the home side’s penalty area before a poor bounce led to the Aberdeen defence eventually managing to clear the danger. The home side were to come agonisingly close – for the home fans at least – to breaking the deadlock on the half hour mark after decent play by Aberdeen’s resident elephant man Steven Tosh. After showing neat skill, Tosh found Adams in acres of space in the Pars box only for the midfielder’s close range effort o be tremendously tipped around the post by the in-form Derek Stillie.
The Pars were to pay for their inability to penetrate the home side’s defence soon after however, in the 34th minute, in the cruelest of fashions. After conceding a very soft free-kick – only seconds after the inexperienced referee had failed to award the Pars a set-piece – a Scott Morrison in-swinger seemed to miss everyone except the head of the unlucky Andy TOD who nodded the ball into his own net giving the Dons the lead. Although the PA announcer awarded the effort to Zander Diamond, the ball undoubtedly came off the head of Andy Tod beating the advancing Derek Stillie. It was a very cruel piece of luck for Toddy who had, up until then, had a very decent game in the heart of the Pars defence. With the half-time break drawing ever closer, Billy Mehmet was to come close twice in quick succession after evading the close marking of Scotland internationalist Russell Anderson – Mehmet seeing a right footed effort padded by Preece before the big striker headed over the bar seconds before the break.
Whether the airing of Green Day’s ‘Time Of Your Life’ during the half-time break was a dig at the, once again, small band of Pars supporters in these dark days or not remains to be seen, however things were to get decidedly worse for the Pars only five minutes into the second-half. After a long ball was launched out of the Aberdeen defence in search of Noel Whelan, a poor Andy Tod header sent Whelan racing through on the Pars goal. After checking back, Whelan found Darren MACKIE free in the penalty box before the young striker managed to wrong foot Scott Wilson to strike the ball home from only ten yards out. With this the home side were to take control of the proceedings, with a third goal looking ever more likely for Jimmy C’s side. The Pars were to almost lose a third in almost comical fashion soon after, with Derek Stillie’s hashed clearance rebounding off Andy Tod and, thankfully, flying over the Pars keeper’s cross bar.
With the home side in control, Scott Morrison was to come close with long range effort soon after, only to see his hot slip wide of Stillie’s right-hand post. The sign that manager Davie Hay was intent on salvaging the match came just after the hour mark, when he deployed his number one tactic; Andy Tod upfront. It might just be me but, this tactic seems to reek of tactical ineptness. To me it would be like playing Billy Mehmet at centre-half…oh no, I think I’ve just given away Davie’s next tactical masterstroke! Nevertheless the Pars were to find a way back into the contest ten minutes later thanks to an impressive surge down the left wing from Ritchie Byrne. After a Byrne cross into the box, a close range Barry Nicholson effort was padded away by Preece only as far as Simon DONNELLY who managed to drill the ball home from close range to grab his second goal of the campaign. With the Pars fans and players on a high, Mehmet could almost had grabbed an equaliser after twisting and turning inside the home side’s box before sending a half-volley into Preece’s side net.
With the Aberdeen players and supporters surely wondering how on earth they had allowed the Pars back into the contest, the need to bury the game seemed to arrive, with substitute Ricky Foster seeing his terrific 25-yard effort acrobatically tipped over the bar by Derek Stillie. The home side were to further threaten Stillie’s goal with the Pars almost reverting to a Calderwood-esque two at the back. A pacy Chris Clark effort was to ricochet off the post with six minutes remaining shortly before Scott Severin somehow managed to slip a right-footed effort wide of the post when it looked much easier to score. With the seconds ticking away, the Pars were to suddenly realize the urgency of the situation, with Donnelly and Mason both coming close to grabbing, what would have been, a momentous Pars equaliser. The final whistle was to arrive soon after to the dismay of the small, but loyal, Pars support with their side never truly looking likely to add to their solitary strike.
In the words of the legendary Noel Gallacher; “Where did it all go wrong?!”
The performance by the Pars team as a whole could not have been more of a contrast t last season. You’d think the Pars players would have had something to prove to their ex-manager yesterday, yet the only thing which they managed to prove was that Calderwood had made the right choice in leaving East End to join the sheep! The Pars, as so often in the past, refused to start playing until it was far too late. Even then the tactic was as predictable as ever; punt it high up to Aberdeen defence, this despite the fact that Diamond and Anderson hadn’t failed to win one header all day. At 2-0 the Dons were in complete cruise control with the Pars looking desperate and clueless as to how to salvage the situation. Not the most encouraging of signs is it!
Although, despite failing to perform as a team as a whole, individually a handful of Pars players can be relatively pleased with their performances. At times – albeit not very often – a number of Pars players looked commanding in their defensive play, with Thomson, Wilson, Mason and Byrne the standouts. In particular, Byrne’s pace down the wing – a dimension oh so clearly lacking in Butler’s game in this particular fixture – coupled with his strength and character in the tackle proved, at times, invaluable to the Pars. Certain other players, however, namely Thomas Butler and Barry Nicholson, can feel fairly disappointed with their displays – the latter looking lethargic and uninterested.
With Ian McCall’s Dundee Utd side registering their first league win in Christ knows how long, and the relegation battle truly beginning to hot up – unlike the temperature in Aberdeen! – it’s going to prove to be one hell of a hard winter with trips to the likes of Fir Park and Tynecastle fast approaching.
God only knows what Mr Hay sees from his seat in the stand, but one thing’s for sure, whatever he sees cannot be what we, the fans are seeing, because something clearly isn’t working! Sort this mess out Davie and sort it out quick!!!
Man Of The Match – RITCHIE BYRNE – Ritchie’s pace and awareness were an excellent asset to the Pars when a fight back seemed possible.
PARS – Stillie 7, Thomson 7, Wilson 7, Tod 7, Labonte 6, Byrne 8, Mason 7, Nicholson 5, Donnelly 6, Butler 5, Mehmet 6.
