There was plenty of tension the last time Aberdeen and Elgin City locked horns in the Scottish Cup.
The sides were drawn to face each other at Pittodrie in the third round of the Scottish Cup on 23 January 1971.
But the tie was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch following a late pitch inspection only two hours before kick-off.
By the time the game was called off, Highland League champions Elgin and a large travelling support had already arrived in the Granite City.
And Elgin club secretary Jim Ross was highly critical of how the Dons handled the situation.
In an interview printed in the Press and Journal on 25 January 1971, he said: “It was not until we arrived at our hotel at Aberdeen that we learned there was a doubt.
“There was no indication of this when we left Elgin, though Aberdeen must have known before then. When we are in this situation in the Highland League, we notify the visiting club before 8am.
“I understand that it had rained all night and that Aberdeen obtained a Met Office forecast of further rain.
“In the circumstances, I would have thought we might have been told in some way before we left that there was a threat to the game. It was awkward for us.
“We couldn’t go back right away in the team bus because the players had to wait to tell their wives who were travelling through by train.
“But I felt particularly sorry for our tremendous support. If we had known earlier, we could have saved some of them the journey.
“It was heartbreaking to see hundreds of kids who had saved up for the game stranded in Aberdeen.”
Disagreement over move to Monday
The game was switched to the Monday night as Aberdeen goalkeeper Bobby Clark and striker Joe Harper had been selected to play in a friendly between Scotland and a combined Celtic and Rangers select in aid of the Ibrox Disaster Fund on the Wednesday, which was Elgin’s preferred day for the cup tie.
Ross added: “Most of the kids won’t be able to come on Monday night because they have spent their money.
“The switch was made to avoid a clash with the Scotland v Celtic-Rangers select game at Hampden on Wednesday, but that is after all a friendly match and one might have thought a Scottish Cup tie would take preference.
“Wednesday would have been far more convenient for our supporters.”
The Aberdeen and Elgin players were in the same hotel for their Monday night pre-match meal and ended up sitting side by side watching the FA Cup preview in the hotel’s lounge.
The Press and Journal’s reporter Bill McAllister said Elgin wouldn’t be deterred by playing under the lights at Pittodrie as “their own lights at Borough Briggs are easily of Scottish League standard.”
He also reported that he would be “surprised” if there was a goal-rush from Aberdeen, adding: “While Elgin’s chances of win seem slender indeed, the mighty men of Moray are in no mood to go down without a fight.”
The tie went ahead in front of a crowd of 24,136 – and Elgin’s share of £2,924 from the gate receipts was the biggest pay day in the Borough Briggs club’s history.
Comfortable win after early scare
The Dons ran out 5-0 winners – although Elgin should have opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Dave Soutar passed up a glorious chance when he was through on goal and shot straight at Clark.
An Ian Taylor strike and doubles from Jim Forrest and Harper ensured the Dons – who were top of the First Division at the time – progressed to the fourth round.
In his assessment of the game, McAllister wrote: “Elgin’s 1-4-2-3 formation kept the Dons at bay for half an hour – and it was just when Elgin were beginning to look poised and confident that the Dons finally broke through.
“Elgin’s hero was former Don Ally Shewan who pulled out all the stops on his return to his old stomping ground. As Elgin’s sweeper, Shewan was strong in the tackle, read the play brilliantly and was a soothing influence on a hard-pressed defence.”
Elgin had only recently paid the final instalment of the £3,000 they agreed to pay the Dons for Shewan so they would have been delighted to get almost the full amount back thanks to the biggest crowd of the season at Pittodrie, which included 1,000 Elgin fans.
The report in the Evening Express said: “No fewer than 24,136 paid admission. This made nonsense of all the cribbing about a postponement and the theory there wouldn’t be a good crowd on a Monday evening.”
It added: “The Highland League champions took home more than their biggest-ever cheque. They earned the admiration of the Dons supporters for their great fight against the odds.”
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