Today, March 18th, is a significant anniversary for the club.

For on that day in 1939, the Dons wore red shirts by choice for the very first time, against Queens Park at Pittodrie. (They had, on occasion been compelled to wear red kit for cup ties where there was deemed to be a colour clash)

That month was arguably one of the most defining in the history of Europe, if not the world.

In time, it would lead to the cancelation of the following football season, the one and only time it has happened, giving some kind of context of the severity of what is happening at the moment.

Like then, football had some very tough decisions to make.

The Red Matchday team look back at a hugely turbulent period on and off the park.

March 1939

The Spanish Civil War was nearing its end. The Nationalists started a general offensive and on 28 March they had occupied Madrid and, by 31 March, they controlled all Spanish territory. General Franco proclaimed victory in a radio speech aired on 1 April, when the last of the Republican forces surrendered. The military leader ruled Spain until Franco’s death in November 1975.

As that war came to an end, another in Europe was about to begin.

On the 14th March Adolf Hitler and Czech President Emil Hácha met in the Reich Chancellery. Hitler announced that the German army had orders to invade Czechoslovakia. At 4:30 a.m. Hácha broadcast a radio message to his people urging them to remain calm. The Nazis marched unopposed into Czechoslovakia. That evening, Hitler and other Nazi leaders entered Prague and by March 15, 1939, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist.

It could be argued the fate of Czechoslovakia was sealed at a meeting in Munich in 1938 between Germany, Britain and France. The Munich Agreement was supposed to end Hitler’s territorial ambitions in Europe and ensure that peace would prevail. Hitler’s annexation of Czechoslovakia breached the written guarantee he had issued to Chamberlain in Munich in 1938, stating that he had no further territorial demands to make in Europe.

However, in March 1939 the worst fears were realised.

Abandoned by its allies, and left to fend for itself against the onslaught of Nazi Germany it was too late for Czechoslovakia who had seized to be a country. On 31 March 1939, Neville Chamberlain issued a formal guarantee of Poland’s borders and said that he expected Hitler to moderate his demands. Chamberlain promised to defend Poland in the event of a Nazi invasion.

Whilst many thought the Munich agreement was naïve or just wrong, Britain had not been strong enough to go to war – it is arguable that Chamberlain was just buying time for Britain to rearm. In January 1939, the navy had been strengthened and production of planes had been increased; in February, defence spending was increased to £580 million and free air-raid shelters were given to a quarter of a million Londoners. Chamberlain was able to change his policy in March 1939 because Britain had the military capacity to go to war, but there were no guarantees of victory.

As all this uncertainty and deep worry amongst the country continued to set in, season 1938/39 could have been a significant one for Aberdeen.

The Dons side that was emerging was offering real promise for an exciting new era.

Gone were the traditional black and gold strips as the club changed to red for the first time in their history.

That promise, of course, was about to be put on the shelf …

1938-39 Progress Made

Following some memorable years and a first cup final appearance in 1937, it was a new Aberdeen side that was beginning to emerge. No less than ten Dons players made their debuts for the club that season as manager Dave Halliday looked at building an Aberdeen side following the departure of Pat Travers.

George Hamilton was a record signing for the club and he made his debut in the opening game of the season at Partick, along with Wilf Adey and Willie Hume.

Hamilton went on to become a Pittodrie legend, even though like so many others from that time, his career was shortened by the outbreak of hostilities.

Hamilton ended his first season as top scorer with 18 goals. The £3,000 signing from Queen of the South helped the Dons to score an impressive 101 goals from 44 competitive matches. The firepower that Aberdeen boasted at the time was helped when Jock Pattillo made a scoring debut against Arbroath at the turn of the year. Matt Armstrong was still there although in the twilight of his career, so that season saw two Aberdeen legends in Hamilton and Armstrong play in the same Aberdeen side.

While the Dons showed some consistency in the league – they finished in a very respectable third position – there was real disappointment in the Scottish Cup after a semi-final replay defeat to Motherwell.

The Dons lost a semi-final replay 3-1 to the Lanarkshire side, who then went on and lost the final 4-0 to Clyde.

The ten Aberdeen debutants that season were George Hamilton, Wilf Adey, Jock Pattillo, Willie Hume, Robert Graham, Willie Waddell, Andy Cowie, Pat Kelly, Donald Grant and Arthur Briggs. Only Hamilton, Waddell and Cowie would play again for the Dons in 1946 following the end of the war.

1939-40 Do we continue?

The football season began as usual, but against a background of rumblings over the increasingly brazen activities of fascist governments on the continent.

The Dons started the season with a comfortable win over Celtic away from home but after only three weeks of football and five League matches, competitive football was suspended in Scotland after the United Kingdom declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939 and the SFA shut down the League competitions.

The final league game took place on the 2nd September 1939 at Muirton Park, Perth. 6000 fans watched the Dons go down to a 3-0 defeat.

The Press and Journal from the 4th September reported: “Aberdeen gave a puerile display against St Johnstone. As a matter of fact the result does not truly reflect the winners’ superiority. The Dons were rocky in defence and the attack was disjointed and inept. The only Aberdeen player who took any credit from the game was Johnstone, the keeper.”

The Aberdeen teamsheet that day was: Johnstone, Cowie, Cooper, Dunlop, Nicholson, Thomson, Smith, Christie, Pattillo, Biggs, Strauss.

For many, the games played up to September 2nd 1939 no longer count and are ignored in many sets of football statistics, but the AFC Heritage Trust has recorded the games on its website and does count the appearances of the players involved and the goals scored. After all, like in 2019/20, the players did their jobs, playing the games and striving for victories, so it is only just that their efforts should still be recognised. All the fixtures from that historic season can be found here www.afcheritage.org

So the decision had to be made by the authorities, do they continue?

The chaos that ensued upon the declaration of war against Germany meant that across the length and breath of Britain many working men were called to arms.

Aberdeen FC had completed only five League fixtures before Neville Chamberlain’s declaration brought about the cessation of professional football. Pittodrie did not escape the clutches of war. All players’ contracts were terminated and the ground was seconded for use as an air-raid shelter, situated under the main stand.

But as with the early weeks of World War I, it was thought that football in some form was necessary to lift flagging spirits and maintain some kind of normality.

All parts of the country improvised at first, setting up makeshift competitions.

Within a month of the outbreak, the Scottish football authorities had agreed to the setting up of regional leagues, with Aberdeen taking part in the Wartime League (East), which after one season, transformed into the North Eastern League.

The League was thought to be more practical by cutting down on travelling costs. This had not been done in World War I and had resulted in AFC very nearly going out of business. You can read more about the Dons during the Great War here.

The club had always in the past prided themselves on being innovative, and were prime movers in developing the new set up. In fact, the new league offered respite for clubs beyond the east coast, and included a Rangers reserve team.

But how to assemble a team?

Virtually all Aberdeen’s players had been stationed far and wide, and many were to find new fields to conquer.

Aberdeen had fixed up Jock Pattillo before the outbreak of hostilities, and the irrepressible forward scored some remarkable goals.

The war years saw him at his physical peak. Pattillo moved to Dundee in 1947 but returned to Pittodrie as trainer five years later, even turning out as an emergency full-back on one occasion during the 50s, picture below, when the Dons were hit by an injury crisis.

Would be a bit like Barry Robson playing now!

Amongst the departed Dons, Arthur Biggs went to Luton Town, Wilf Adey to Carlisle United, Willie Hume joined Raith Rovers, George Hamilton turned out for Ayr United, while Matt Armstrong, Billy Strauss and Andy Cowie were given permission to play for Chelsea. Willie Mills – who had been sold to Huddersfield Town before the war – early in 1940 found himself back at Pittodrie, via Dumbarton.

But the flow of players worked both ways.

Although the Dons lost some of their top names, the novelty of famous stars turning out in the red of Aberdeen attracted much interest in those troubled times. John ‘Jock’ Thomson arrived from Everton in January 1940.

Thomson had once been a Scotland international and was still a tough defender.

Other players to guest for the Dons during the war years included Sammy Cox of Rangers, Bobby Ancell of Newcastle, and perhaps the greatest of all, Stan Mortensen of Blackpool.

Stan Mortensen

by Peter Elliott (Red Matchday Contributor)

There have been many greats who have led the Aberdeen forward line through the years but one name that normally escapes mention is that of Stan Mortensen, who found fame as a striker with Blackpool, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1953, scoring a hat-trick to help bring his side from 3-1 down to beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3.

The outbreak of war in September 1939 had led to conscription from the very beginning of hostilities, so regular organised football came to a standstill, with the likes of Aberdeen’s Matt Armstrong and Billy Strauss serving in the Royal Corps of Signals, while others saw duty with other parts of the armed forces.

With all professional playing contracts cancelled, clubs were left to find players who were available to play for them. As a consequence players who were household names elsewhere would soon be plying their trade at Pittodrie while stationed in the area. Mortensen had left his Tyneside roots at the age of 16 to sign as an apprentice at Blackpool, where he found difficulty in breaking through to the first team at Bloomfield Road. Only months before the outbreak of war, his manager had given him a one year contract, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was lucky to have been offered that.

He joined the Royal Air Force as a wireless operator and gunner on bombing missions, and was stationed for a while at Lossiemouth. He was very lucky to escape death on one occasion after the Wellington bomber he was in had crashed, killing two crew members.

After recuperating, he was able to resume his football, and made his Aberdeen debut on 13th February 1943. The inability of clubs to know for certain whether players might be available for them led to some being listed as trialists, so it was interesting that on the morning of the game, the Press & Journal reported that, “A brilliant young English inside-forward will play for the Dons against Dundee United at Pittodrie today. He will definitely appear under the name of Newman at inside right. He will be a decided acquisition to the Dons, for whom Harvey of Bradford City may also be available.”

If that didn’t whet the appetite at the Saturday breakfast table, nothing could. As it was, he scored the second in a 3-0 win in front of a 6,000 crowd at Pittodrie. The report carried in the following Monday’s Press & Journal opened with the headline ‘Mortensen a Star at Pittodrie’, reporting that, “Aberdeen have been fortunate to secure the services of this ‘flier’ who ranks among the best of the guest players who have donned Aberdeen’s colours. He is a natural footballer. His ball control is magnificent, but his greatest asset is the speed with which he gets off the mark with the ball at his foot.”

In all, Mortensen made nine appearances, scoring ten goals in the 1942/43 season, including a starring role in a challenge match against an Army XI, which was essentially an England international side in disguise. From a half-time deficit of 4-1, Mortensen added to his first half strike with three more goals in a match which saw the visiting all-stars win 5-4. Mortensen began the 1943/44 season at Pittodrie, scoring three in two games, his final appearance coming at Tynecastle, registering both goals in a 2-2 draw with Hearts on 3rd September.

His prowess in front of goal had led to regular call-ups for the RAF XI, and, with a posting back in England, his brief, but remarkable time at Pittodrie was at an end. As well as playing for the RAF, he guested for Arsenal 25 times before the end of the war.

After the war ended, he returned to Blackpool, where he made over 300 appearances, scoring almost 200 goals, including his 1953 FA Cup final hat-trick, in what – despite his scoring record on the day – became known as the Matthews Final.

Though he had played for England in wartime internationals, his full England debut came in May 1947 in blistering style, scoring four in a 10-0 rout of Portugal in Lisbon. His record for England was extraordinary, with 23 goals in only 25 appearances, the last of which came in the famous 6-3 defeat by the visiting Hungarians at Wembley in November 1953.

Aged 32, and with knee trouble curtailing his playing time, he signed for Second Division Hull City in 1955, scoring almost a goal every other game over two seasons, before dropping further down the league to sign for Southport for one season, and ending his playing career at Lancaster City at the age of 41.

After he retired from playing, he ran a sports shop in Blackpool, and was appointed Blackpool manager in 1967 after they had been relegated to the Second Division. He was unable to return the Tangerines to their former glories, and was sacked in 1969. Mortensen died in May 1991, just days before his 70th birthday. His legacy in a Blackpool shirt is such that a statue of him was unveiled at Bloomfield Road in 2005.

He remains to this day the only player to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup final as Raheem Sterling was denied a final hat-trick after Manchester City’s second goal against Watford in 2019 was officially awarded to Gabriel Jesus. And his record of scoring in 11 consecutive top flight matches remains unbeaten, matched only by Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy in recent years.

Management Team

In the absence of manager Dave Halliday, who was otherwise engaged in the war effort, former Dons keeper George Anderson and director Charles Forbes took on the arduous task of piecing together a side.

The makeshift management team arranged trials for the hopefuls who had been moved into the area as the grip of war took hold.

During these early days of the war Aberdeen took gold in almost every competitions in which they entered.

The inaugural Regional League resulted in the Dons winning sixteen of their 29 games – the odd number of matches resulting from Cowdenbeath withdrawing in February 1940.

Meanwhile, the Dons’ trio of Matt Armstrong, Billy Strauss and Andy Cowie were on their travels again.

Having gone to Chelsea, they were now turning out for Birmingham City. Popular goalkeeper George Johnstone had found employment in Glasgow and subsequently turned out for St Mirren.

During that time the club was saddened to discover that former player Herbert Currer – who was born in South African and joined the Dons in 1936 – lost his life aboard the Dunbar Castle when it struck a mine off the south coast of England.

Death had become a daily occurrence.

The war was not going well at all.

Reality was setting in that it could even be lost, highlighted when the US Ambassador to the UK, Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr. was so pessimistic about Britain’s ability to survive Nazi Germany’s attacks that he publicly suggested that “Democracy is finished in England” before returning home. His son John F Kennedy would later become President of the United States of America.

Football in Scotland had no option but to completely stop.

1940-41 No football

In a major error of judgement the SFA had actually been desperate for competitive or normal football to resume, and early in May 1940 announced its intention of setting up of two leagues to operate the following season.

This hardly caused rejoicing in Aberdeen.

Pittodrie was still being utilised for the war effort and it soon became clear that there was no realistic prospect of the Dons participating in such circumstances.

Within weeks the SFA did a quick U-turn.

The Phoney War had given way to the invasion and surrender of France, at which point all thoughts of organised football were rendered futile. The Battle of Britain was only weeks away.

It was announced on 31 May that no football at all would be played in season 1940-41.

It is said that a week is a long time in football, but for more than a year no senior games took place in the Aberdeen area.

Though Britain stood alone in what Churchill described as her darkest hour, by the spring of 1941 the Battle of Britain had been won, the dark clouds had partially lifted, and football gradually emerged from its enforced hibernation.

1941-42 Matthews and Mortensen

The first game to be staged in Aberdeen was a representative fixture between a Scotland XI and an Army Select side.

With Pittodrie under wraps, the question arose of where the game might be staged.

The problem was solved by the Town Council, who had opened a new 30,000 capacity municipal stadium at Linksfield, just north of Pittodrie, in August 1939, just before war was declared.

The game at Linksfield and attracted a 3,000 crowd.

The only Aberdeen connection in the Scots’ 2-1 win was the appearance of Benny Yorston, who had since been playing for Middlesbrough (and now turned out for the Army XI), and Willie Mills.

One player to catch the eye in the Scotland side was the legendary Englishman Stanley Matthews, who in 1953 would help Blackpool lift the FA Cup in what became known as ‘Matthews’ final’.

It remains one of the ironies of wartime football that the two most influential figures in that famous Wembley side – Matthews and Mortensen – played in Aberdeen at one time or another during the war.

The ‘Scotland’ side that day, 19 April 1941, was: Crozier, Carabine, Curran, Russell, Thomson, Brown, Matthews, Mills, Keyes, Wallace and Browning.

The Aberdeen team that returned to action in August 1941 – as Pittodrie shook the rust off its hinges – was barely recognisable.

Goalkeeper George Johnstone had returned from his spell at St Mirren, but otherwise only Cooper, Dunlop, Bain and Taylor were still around. The new-look Dons wasted little time getting back among the goals: in their first Pittodrie outing they hit hapless Leith Athletic for nine.

The reconstituted Regional League had been split into two halves, with the second set of fixtures commencing after the first, at the turn of the year.

The Dons took a liking to this arrangement and claimed their second title on goal-average from Rangers. A 3-1 win at Ibrox in January 1942 paved the way for the Dons’ championship success.

1942-43 Mitchell Cup

Their winning ways continued into 1942-43, when Aberdeen swept the board in every competition they entered – no mean achievement considering the difficulties they had to contend with.

The Mitchell Cup had been donated by the Aberdeen chairman as a prize for Scotland’s easterly clubs, offering a welcome distraction to the routine league games, and the trophy remained at Pittodrie almost throughout the years in which it was contested.

In the inaugural Mitchell Cup, in 1942, Aberdeen defeated Dundee United 3-1 in the second leg at Pittodrie, turning around a 3-4 defeat on Tayside.

Jock Pattillo scored in both ties.

The Aberdeen side had a more familiar look about it, thanks to the welcome return of Stan Williams. The season ended on a high when the Dons recruited another English football star, Stan Mortensen, who graced Pittodrie for the best part of a year.

Mortensen had always been a prolific scorer, and the appreciative Pittodrie crowds made a lasting impression on the man who went on to earn many caps for his country. It is said that Mortensen would have been happy for a return to Pittodrie in his later years, but that would have taken the Dons into new territory as far as transfer fees were concerned, and the speculation came to nothing.

In the last game of the 1942-43 season the Dons welcomed an Army XI comprising a host of England internationals. This was exhibition football at its best, providing Pittodrie with a brief respite for the ongoing troubles beyond our shores. The Army select won 5-4, but they had to withstand a virtual one-man onslaught as Mortensen hit all four Aberdeen goals in a second-half fight-back.

During that period the city seemed to be in the front line of the war, unable to escape the attentions of German bombers who made frequent raids on the city.

On Wednesday, April 21, 1943, the city experienced its worst air raid of World War 2. In the space of just 45 minutes, 130 odd bombs fell, damaging or destroying more than 12,000 buildings and killing 98 civilians and 27 soldiers on the ground. Even though Aberdeen was the most frequently bombed city in Britain between 1940 and 1943 the scale and severity of that night’s Luftwaffe raid shocked everyone.

1943-44 Goals Galore

The diminutive figure of Jock Pattillo continued rattling in the goals, and the following season, 1943-44, he looked set to team up again with English-born Charlie Ferguson.

Fifteen strikes the previous season had already suggested Ferguson had a future with the Dons but – after scoring a glut of goals in August 1943 – Charlie’s Pittodrie career would be cut short.

The Dons had opened the defence of their league title by slaughtering visitors Dunfermline 7-2.

Pattillo weighed in with a hat-trick while Ferguson went one better with four.

Everything seemed rosy in the Aberdeen camp but following a surprise defeat at Raith the following week manager Halliday sensationally dropped Ferguson for the visit of Rangers.

The Dons boss had drafted in three guest players, including George Green from Bradford and local lad Billy Moir, who later signed for Bolton, captaining Wanderers in the 1953 ‘Matthews’ Cup final.

In making these changes Halliday had an eye on the gate.

Bringing in new players was sure to boost the attendance, and Charlie Ferguson paid the price.

Ferguson took his omission badly and stormed down to Halliday’s workplace on the morning of the match to vent his anger.

There could only be one outcome from such a confrontation. Ferguson never played for the Dons again. It might seem a harsh reflection on the player, but the Dons did not seem to miss his scoring prowess as they stormed to another league success in 1944, scoring 76 goals from only 28 games.

The coming and going of players seemed never ending.

The Dons engaged the services of Crystal Palace forward Ernie Waldron who, with Pattillo, scored 33 goals apiece that season.

It remains a mystery how Waldron avoided falling foul of the authorities, unlike Pattillo, who received a life ban for playing junior football without permission.

Although Pattillo’s ban was later rescinded, Waldron freely admitted to turning out in the minor grades in search of a game.

Dave Halliday soon fixed up Alex Dyer of Plymouth fame, after Dyer was moved to Aberdeen during the war effort.

Dyer served in the Army and manned the guns at the Torry Battery. Bobby Ancell was one of the few players to actually return to the area after the War, playing for the Dons in 1948.

Previously with Newcastle, Ancell had been in the Scotland team that played England at St James’ Park in 1939.

It was in that game that former Dons boss Tommy Pearson was drafted in at the last minute to play for England, thus becoming the only player ever to play for both Scotland and England in a full international.

Ancell was an Aberdeen regular during his service and he continued his Scottish connection by managing Motherwell after finishing his playing career.

1944-45 Gentleman George

Aberdeen’s domination of the wartime league continued in season 1944-45, when once again they finished the second series of matches as winners, ahead of East Fife and Rangers.

Unofficial football it may have been, but the Dons’ 128 goals from only 36 outings would otherwise have created a club record.

With the club hoisting the Mitchell Cup for the third time, some supporters reckoned their success was entirely due to poor-quality of opponents.

They had a point, but at least winning the trophy confirmed that Aberdeen – for all their temporary imports – could enjoy the habit of winning on the national stage.

Irrespective of the team’s wartime success, there was an overwhelming desire for a return to some kind of normality, not just in football but also in everyday life.

In 1945, as the country began to pick itself up from the devastation caused, confusion reigned, in football as in everything else.

Dave Halliday had little time to rest, as he now faced the task of assessing the players who would return to the club. The war had stolen six years from their careers. From Halliday’s point of view, there was a fine line between sentiment and the hard-headed desire to build a side worthy of competing once again in serious competition.

Of the pre-war team, George Johnstone, Willie Cooper, Archie Baird, Frank Dunlop, Andy Cowie and George Taylor were among those to make a welcome return.

But perhaps the most significant player to do so was George Hamilton (player on the left in the photo below), who had been signed by Halliday before hostilities started. ‘

Gentleman George’, as he became known, would play a significant part in the team that finally brought silverware to the club. Halliday recalled the day he signed Hamilton from Queen of the South:

“Hamilton was playing for Queens, who were struggling at the bottom of the table.

They managed to save themselves on the last day of the season but that did not stop me going down to Dumfries on the Monday.

“I expected difficult negotiations but everything went easily. Perhaps it was because I was a Dumfries lad and once played for Queens. Anyhow, I put my cards on the table and offered George terms to join Aberdeen.

“The deal went through and I signed him for a bargain £2,250 fee.”

“George started playing for Aberdeen in the Empire Exhibition games in which we did very well.

“But it was his first game against Celtic that convinced me we had a real talent.

“George scored his first league goals for us and they were memorable.

“In those days it was accepted as almost a foregone conclusion that visitors to Celtic would be beaten. But at the opening of the new season we went to Parkhead and George scored twice in our 2-1 win.

“The war came before we got any more from George and that was a disappointment.”

Halliday continued to introduce new players as the welcome return to competitive action drew ever nearer. The new ‘A’ and ‘B’ Leagues were earmarked for August 1945 – incidentally, the same proposals the SFA had hoped to implement five years previously, but which had to be shelved after the fall of France.

Although this set-up did not amount to an official league, it was at least an indication that competitive football was drawing closer. Government pressure had accelerated these moves and with no little haste the first matches in the new leagues were arranged for 11 August 1945.

That was the week that atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1945-46 Southern League Cup

In the oddly named Southern League – which would embrace Aberdeen – the Dons acquitted themselves well, continuing their good form from the war leagues. The new structure may not have offered the quality of play that many yearned for, but the signs were encouraging nonetheless. With no Scottish Cup to contest, a new cup competition was introduced that has subsequently stood the test of time – the now much-maligned League Cup. The Southern League Cup welcomed the novelty of sectional ties before progressing to a straight knockout stage.

Aberdeen cruised through to the latter stages following a draw at Partick Thistle.

The Southern League Cup-ties were played immediately following the conclusion of the league fixtures in February. By that time Aberdeen had bid farewell to Matt Armstrong, who still managed nine goals before his departure to Queen of the South.

Armstrong would later return to the north and end his career with Elgin City in the Highland League.

It was a pity that one of the true Aberdeen greats was not around when the club won its first major trophy a few months after his departure.

The latter stages of the Cup were all staged at neutral venues and the Dons came through against Ayr United at Dens Park before defeating a stubborn Airdrie at Ibrox in a semi-final replay. Aberdeen’s opponents in the Hampden final, on 11 May 1946, were Rangers, who could be guaranteed to provide a massive test.

The thirst for competitive big-time football in Scotland enticed a massive 135,000 crowd for the first Hampden cup final since 1939.

Few neutrals gave the Dons much of a prayer and understandably so: Aberdeen would have to break Rangers’ winning resolve to achieve something they had never before achieved, and many thought they would be overawed by the occasion.

Those fears were swept aside in the first minute, when Aberdeen took the lead. Stan Williams flicked on a long throw from Cowie, and Archie Baird, one of the best inside-forwards ever to play for the club, ghosted in to head past Rangers’ keeper Shaw.

Buoyed by their early success, Aberdeen continued to press and they might have added to their lead when both Williams and McCall went close.

Alec Kiddie, one of the new intake of players, had been giving Rangers’ legend ‘Tiger’ Shaw a torrid time. Kiddie was instrumental in the Dons’ second goal (pictured above), which was put away by Stan Williams from George Hamilton’s cross.

Aberdeen had had things all their own way, but that was to change in the second half.

The customary Rangers fight-back yielded two goals to level the game.

But everything ended well. In the last minute a probing run from Kiddie produced a cross that was converted by George Taylor. There was no way back for Rangers this time, and Aberdeen had won their first major trophy.

What the players could not have anticipated was the size of the reception that awaited them team on their return.

Thousands gathered at the Joint Station as the players were welcomed back as conquering heroes, not unlike the reception given to the constant stream of returning men from the Armed Forces.

The realisation that a club from the provinces could head west and beat their illustrious rivals in their own back yard made the success all the sweeter. On reflection, this was a landmark victory for the club and a significant moment in Aberdeen FC’s history.

The lingering effects of the war were never far away, however. Both Stan Williams and George Hamilton had to dash off to fulfil their military obligations, leaving the Aberdeen duo with little time to dwell on their achievements.

Official competition did not resume until the 1946–47 season.

By then the world was a very different place.