Christian Ramirez’s double helped Aberdeen start their Premier Sports Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Peterhead.
The Dons travelled 30 miles north to face the League One side and were in control for large swathes of the game, but had to wait until the second half to seal the points.
Ramirez struck from the penalty spot and from a header to open his account for the new season.
It was the first competitive meeting between the two sides in nearly 100 years and Peterhead provided Aberdeen with a good examination in front of a 3,112 capacity crowd at Balmoor.
The Dons handed a first start to young defender Mason Hancock at left-back, while Kelle Roos, Jayden Richardson, Anthony Stewart and Liam Scales all made competitive debuts.
Peterhead started new addition Jack Newman between the posts, who joined on loan from Dundee United on Saturday, while fellow summer arrivals Danny Strachan, Paul Dixon, Conor O’Keefe, Ryan Dow and Ola Adeyemo were in the starting line-up.
The home side were only able to name three outfield substitutes, with one of them being a half-fit Ryan Strachan. They also drafted in back-up goalkeeper Sandy Wood to take a spot on the bench.
Odds were stacked against Peterhead upsetting their more illustrious neighbours and it was Aberdeen who had the first sight of goal, with Ross McCrorie thundering an early effort off the crossbar.
It preceded a wave of pressure from the Dons which, to their credit, Peterhead were able to weather. A theatrical tumble and roll from Vicente Besuijen after Newman had taken the ball away from him drew little response from referee David Dickinson.
Given their lack of preparation time together and their shortage of bodies, the Blue Toon were certainly not affording their opponents a great deal of respect. Adeyemo regularly pinned himself up against Stewart and refused him time on the ball, while Jack Brown and Hamish Ritchie in particular were bundles of energy in the middle of the park.
Newman was proving his worth soon after arriving, turning a deflected McCrorie shot around the post then producing another spectacular stop to deny Christian Ramirez.
Richardson turned another opportunity across the face of goal from Matty Kennedy‘s cross, as Aberdeen continued to test Peterhead’s bend-but-don’t-break approach. McCrorie had a goal disallowed before the interval after Richardson dragged down Jack Brown in the build-up.
After a promising first period, Ritchie’s afternoon was cut short after a collision with McCrorie which saw him leave the field on a stretcher. It looked worrying for the midfielder, who was attended to by medical staff from both teams.
After spending most of the game defending in the sun, Peterhead nearly did the unthinkable. O’Keefe teed up Dow and he was given the space to shoot from 25 yards, with only a great one-handed stop from Roos keeping him at bay.
Scales was then required to block on the line after Dixon turned Dow’s corner goalwards. They were doing their bit to keep the unlikely upset alive.
Those hopes were dashed, however, just after the hour after Jack Brown tangled with Kennedy just inside the box. After an afternoon of being frustrated by Newman, Ramirez finally got the better of him from 12 yards.
Ramirez, heavily linked with a move away from Pittodrie this summer, had the opportunity to make hay while the north-east sun shined, with new arrival Bojan Miovski still awaiting his visa to join up with the Dons. He delivered his second of the afternoon on 74 minutes, heading home from Marley Watkins’ cross.
PETERHEAD (4-1-4-1) – Newman 7; D Strachan 6, Wilson 6, Dixon 6, McDonald 6, Jack Brown 6, Jordon Brown 6, Ritchie 7 (McGale 49), Dow 6, O’Keefe 6, Adeyemo 6 (McLeod 64). Subs not used – Wood, R Strachan.
ABERDEEN (4-2-3-1) – Roos 6; Richardson 6, Stewart 6, Scales 6, Hancock 5 (Watkins 35), McCrorie 7 (Milne 81), Polvara 5, Kennedy 7 (Duncan 72), Besuijen 5, Hayes 6, Ramirez 7 (Harvey 81). Subs not used – Lewis, Ritchie, Bates, Ngwenya, McLennan.
Referee – David Dickinson 6.
Attendance – 3,112.
Player of the match – Ross McCrorie.