Scottish Cup: Queen of the South 1 - 2 Aberdeen: Dons leave it late

ANDREW Considine was the only player in Aberdeen colours last night who could have settled the old scores of 2008.

And, in one of those glorious quirks, he did, in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable at Palmerston.

Rising to meet a hanging diagonal cross at the back post with all of 92 minutes played, the headed winner that earns his team a last-eight trip to Motherwell was rough on Queens’ up-and-at-’em second-half effort.

For most of that period, it looked as if this fifth-round Scottish Cup replay was going to throw up another memorable Queens success. A debatable penalty might have brought Gus MacPherson’s team back on terms after they were outplayed to trail 1-0 at the interval, but after it was converted by Ryan McGuffie, Aberdeen had to dig deep to survive the Queens onslaught before grabbing a winner themselves. They had to do so without Ryan Jack, who was understood to have been left out because of an argument with assistant manager Archie Knox. “He was left out for disciplinary reasons relating to the weekend. It was a football matter and a one-game exclusion and he will be back for the next game,” said Dons manager Craig Brown, who was also relieved to see the club avoid another upset at the hands of lower-league opposition.

“No-one deserved the goal more than Considine. He’s an inspiration and it was an Aberdeen supporter scoring that. And really the fans who came here deserved the result, more than the players. We were very fortunate to get the goal at the death.”

It is always a step back in time to take in a cup tie at Palmerston Park. The old-school nature of the stadium may have been diminished by the all-seater, contemporary Galloway News stand. But the other three sides belong to a different era, with the Portland Road End terracing still sporting a clock atop it that would have looked right at home in Trumpton. The three sections open were all heavily populated and the din that emanated from them told of a decent Aberdeen travelling support and a home crowd full of anticipation. Queens fans couldn’t be blamed for thinking it could be another of those ties. And not simply because of the high that they enjoyed in 2008. MacPherson’s men had been well worth their 1-1 draw in the original tie 11 days before and boasted a six-game unbeaten run going into the replay.

However, from early on last night, the control exerted by the visitors suggested Queens followers had allowed themselves false hope. As their manager was quick to point out beforehand, Aberdeen had not lost in their previous eight games. The sequence could have gone a long way to explaining why they betrayed no great nerves or uncertainty. The opening period was very much regulation Scottish Premier League side in decent nick versus lower-half First Division opponents. Aberdeen were far more imposing and looked as if they believed a place in the quarter-final was theirs for the taking. By the time Fraser Fyvie opened the scoring in the 20th minute, the goal felt overdue. It has a horrible goal for the home team to concede, a battalion of blue shirts having opportunities to deal with a cross whipped in from the left by Rory McArdle. The marking was slack that let Rory Fallon nod the ball into the middle of the box with Scott Vernon allowed a couple of hacks at it before it broke to Fyvie to slam in from four yards.

Aberdeen continued to dominate for the rest of the opening period with Lee Robinson forced to save smartly from Vernon as the interval approached. The tie that restarted after the break bore no relation to what had gone before. Queens went at Aberdeen, and, in doing so, all the authority previously shown by their top-flight visitors evaporated. Yet, the manner their lead vanished was still a tad harsh.

When Youl Malwene slid in to get his body in the way of a Nicky Clark cross from the right, the ball came off his hand, but despite the fact there was no intention and his arm was not in an unnatural position, referee Alan Muir, after being given an affirmative from his assistant Andy Tait, pointed to the spot. Ryan McGuffie’s subsequent penalty was a down the middle scuffer, but it did the job. Aberdeen, in the aftermath, looked all the world like the team who are so often taken by less glamorous opponents, MacPherson’s men going long and direct to considerable effect, with Clark clattering the crossbar with a dipping drive before Sam Parkin skiffed the top of the goal frame.

The Aberdeen box then became a scene of panic on a couple of occasions. Brown’s men, so beligerent early on, were rattled. Until the final moments.

Queen of the South: Robinson, McGuffie, C Reid, Higgins (Holt 53), A Reid, Carmichael, McKenna, Johnston (Simmons 78), McLaughlin, Clark, Parkin.

Aberdeen: Brown, McArdle, Mawene, Reynolds, Considine, Fyvie, Arnason, Hughes, Megginson (Uchechi 40), Fallon (Mackie 80), Vernon.