Dunfermline Athletic 3 Aberdeen 0: Furious fans vent rage as holders crash out of the Scottish Cup
A near 4,000 strong travelling Red Army vented their anger as Aberdeen's disastrous form continued as the cup holders crashed out to lower league Dunfermline Athletic.
Aberdeen’s bid to retain the Scottish Cup and salvage a disastrous season ended with a whimper as they crashed to a 3-0 loss at Dunfermline Athletic.
It was a humiliating quarter-final defeat to a lower league club who outfought and outplayed the Dons.
A 3,766 strong travelling Red Army at East End Park made their anger clear by booing at full-time and half-time of a dismal cup exit.
Many Aberdeen had left in disgust by full-time, those who remained made their frustration and anger crystal clear.
The boos were not just for the manner of this defeat when defending a trophy that meant so much to the fans around 100,000 turned out for the homecoming parade last May.
Boos were also in response to a calamitous campaign where the Reds have won only once in the last 13 Premiership matches and sit ninth in the table.
They were also booing a situation where the Dons are still without a permanent manager more than two months after sacking Jimmy Thelin on January 4.
The hope of retaining the Scottish Cup was all the Dons fans were clinging to after a disastrous, depressing season.
That hope was obliterated by Dunfermline.
United States based Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack was at the game and will have been under no illusions as to the supporters’ anger.
We look at three talking points as the Dons lost their grip of the Scottish Cup.
Aberdeen defensive vulnerability exposed by lower league side
Aberdeen’s defensive frailty was brutally exploited by Dunfermline Athletic with a early opening two goal salvo.
The Reds’ backline was exposed at Dunfermline’s opening goal when a cross from the left by Charlie Gilmour was headed by left-back Mitchell Frame.
The poor headed clearance fell into the path of Matty Todd inside the box.
Defensive slackness was punished when Todd smashed a vicious 12 yard drive into the roof of the net to stun the cup holders.
The warning was there for the Dons, but it was not heeded.
In the 24th minute the back four was far too easily breached when Gilmour slid a through-ball to the onrushing Olly Thomas.
The Aberdeen defence parted with a complete breakdown in communication between right-back Dylan Lobban and centre-back Jack Milne.
Neither took responsibility for the onrushing Thomas who broke through the parting defence.
Thomas looked marginally offside but there was no VAR in the tie to review the incident.
His 15 yard shot was initially saved by keeper Dimitar Mitov but the ball cannoned off Thomas and bounced into the empty net.
Aberdeen were shell-shocked and looked nervy at set-pieces and deliveries hoisted deep into the box for the rest of the half.
Moments after going 2-o down Dunfermline’s Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen was left completely unmarked at a corner.
Allowed a free header, he forced his 12 yard effort wide.
It should have been 3-0.
However Dunfermline did increase their lead in the 61st minute when Aberdeen were exposed by a swift counter-attack.
The Pars hit on the break as Chris Kane picked out Thomas’s run and breaking through a static defence he fired a superb 15 yard drive beyond Mitov.
It killed off any slim hopes of an Aberdeen revival.
Aberdeen’s Euro hopes over
Crashing out of the Scottish Cup also confirmed Aberdeen will not qualify for Europe.
Retaining the trophy was the last remaining opportunity for Euro qualification after a 2-1 loss to Celtic confirmed the Dons would not finish in the top six.
The Scottish Cup winners enter the Europa League at the third qualifying round – but it will not be the Dons.
Winning the Scottish Cup at Hampden last May secured guaranteed European group stage action for the Dons.
After losing out in the Europa League play-offs the Reds crashed into the Conference League.
However despite signing 13 players in the summer the squad was not equipped to balance European action with domestic commitments.
Aberdeen finished second bottom of the Conference League without a win.
For a second successive summer this Aberdeen squad needs a rebuild, but this time it will be new head of recruitment Darren Mowbray overseeing it.
The lack of European football may allow the Dons the breathing space to focus on rebuilding a domestic reputation that has taken a major hit this season.
Winning the Scottish Cup papered over the cracks of a team that had struggled badly in the Premiership last season.
Had the Dons retained the trophy this season it would only have yet again papered over the cracks.
It is time to fix those cracks and that will be the job of the new permanent manager when appointed.
Damaging away goal drought continues
Aberdeen’s damaging away goal drought continued as they yet again failed to score on the road.
The Dons have not netted an away goal this year which is a damning statistic.
Their last away goal came when Kenan Bilalovic scored in a 3-1 loss to Parkhead on December 21.
It is now eight away games without a goal, stretching 738 minutes
During that away goal drought the Dons have conceded 14 goals.
Aberdeen’s inability to score away from Pittodrie has given opponents the incentive to push on the attack from the offset.
Dunfermline came racing out of the blocks in the knowledge that if they scored early it would be very difficult for Aberdeen to respond with a goal.
The Pars registered a shot on target within the first 60 seconds to set a high tempo tone.
When the opener did come in the 14th minute they kept pushing on looking for another.
The strategy of going on the attack, fuelled by the knowledge the Dons are struggling to score away from home paid off.
When the first goal went in it looked an uphill task for the Reds.
With the second it became a climb of Ben Nevis proportions.
By the third it was Mount Everest and the Dons were never going to reach base camp, let alone ascend.
ABERDEEN (4-3-3): Mitov 5; Lobban 4, Milne 4, McIntyre 4 (Morrison 76), Frame 3 (Molloy 46); Cameron 3 (Nilsen 46), Shinnie 5, Armstrong 5 (Lazetic 74); Milanovic 3 (Olusanya 46), Nisbet 4, Keskinen 4
Subs not used: Vitols, Bilalovic, Jensen, Aremu.
DUNFERLMINE ATHLETIC (4-3-3): Oxborough 7; Turley 7 (Benedictus 80), Chilokoa-Mullen 7, Ngwenya 7, Fraser 7; Todd 7, Gilmour 7, Amade 7 (Kearney 65); Tod 7, Kane 7 (Hamilton 65), Thomas 8 (Oakley-Boothe 83).
Subs not used: Terrell, Abdulai, Bray, Cooper, Fyfe
Referee: Ryan Lee
Attendance: 10, 399
Man of the match: Olly Thomas
[Source: Press and Journal]
