A look ahead to the big game on Friday night

What The Manager Said

“We have found it tough to play against them. I think they have good experience (in defence) and they have got good size and their goalkeeper has been very good for them this season. The way Craig sets up his teams, they are very compact and organised. Everyone has their own role within the team and they try and counter attack on you and feed off mistakes. We have to learn from the last game. We played in the wrong areas and they took full advantage when we were a bit stretched. We have to go and ask the right questions by playing in the right areas.”

Read Derek’s full press conference here

What Mark Reynolds Said

“It is always nice to play on a Friday night. When you get the floodlights on there is a better atmosphere. The fans always turn up in good numbers on a Friday night and they are always in good voice. Hopefully we can give them a good performance, but the most important thing is getting the three points.”

Read Mark’s press conference here

What The Captain Said

“We all had something to prove at Kilmarnock, and myself, Shay and Kenny really felt that way after not being able to help the side at Hampden. To go there and win – and for those two to get the goals – it was a nice lift and an essential win given the other results over the weekend.

“It is going to be a tough end to the season but it is an exciting one for the teams involved in the European spots. Every team has big games every week. Playing on Friday ahead of the other teams, if we could get the three points, it puts the pressure right back on the other two in their games over the weekend. We can set the tone for the weekend with a win and we can’t settle for anything less.”

The history of the fixture

Aberdeen first faced the Tynecastle outfit in 1905/06 when they earned a 1-1 draw in Edinburgh then recorded a 2-1 victory in the return fixture at Pittodrie. Early matches were mostly close affairs, although between 1910 and 1912 Aberdeen recorded five straight wins and then immediately suffered five straight defeats in reply.

The Dons’ record win against Hearts is 6-2 and this was first achieved in 1947 as the Dons won a League Cup semi-final replay that took them through to Hampden to face Rangers in the final. That score was repeated in 1992 at Pittodrie when Duncan Shearer helped himself to his second hat-trick in five days to help secure the victory. Hearts’ record win came in 1950 at Pittodrie when the Edinburgh side gained sweet revenge for a cup defeat in February as they swept the Dons aside 5-0 helped by a second half hat-trick from Bauld.

The highest scoring encounter between the two sides happened back on 20th November 1926. The match is long erased from the memories of both sets of fans, but the 14,000 in Pittodrie that day were well entertained. Hearts grabbed an early lead after three minutes, but with only 15 minutes on the clock, the score was 3-2 to the home side. The journalists of the day refused to blame weak defending and were wholesome in their praise of some “really brilliant forward play.” Both forward lines played “dashing football” and the Hearts keeper did “much good saving.”

In a ding-dong battle, Aberdeen led 4-3, and 5-4, but were pegged back on both occasions. That early Hearts goal was the only time the Edinburgh side enjoyed a lead and with only a minute remaining the sides were tied at 5-5 and it looked like ending in share of the points. However in that final minute, Reid set up Bruce for the decisive goal as Aberdeen claimed both points and sent the crowd home happy with a win and eleven goals to savour.

As always there are many more history articles in RedMatchday Magazine. 

League record against Hearts

Overall
Played 267, won 90, drawn 71, lost 106. Scored 345, conceded 368.

At Pittodrie
Played 134, won 59, drawn 32, lost 43. Scored 201, conceded 152.

Biggest win (margin) at Pittodrie for Aberdeen:

Aberdeen 5 Hearts 0 – 2nd May 1979 and 2nd February 1991

Biggest win at Pittodrie for Hearts:

Aberdeen 0 Hearts 5 – 8th April 1950

Last five games between the sides at Pittodrie:
30/12/17 Aberdeen 0 Hearts 0
18/03/17 Aberdeen 2 (Logan, Hayes) Hearts 0
13/08/16 Aberdeen 0 Hearts 0
12/05/16 Aberdeen 0 Hearts 1 (Dauda)
12/12/15 Aberdeen 1 (Rooney pen) Hearts 0