Aberdeen beat Raith Rovers
Aberdeen progressed into the next round of the Co-Operative Insurance Cup with a 3-2 win against Raith Rovers at Pittodrie. Aberdeen were looking to gain some revenge after Raith had knocked them out of the Scottish Cup last season.
Aberdeen started the match brightly and Rovers were lucky not to go behind in the first few minutes when Andrew Considine headed wide from Paul Hartley’s wonderful free kick. In the 10th minute Hartley scored from the penalty spot after Willie
Dyer stopped Rory McCardle’s run in the penalty box.
Raith were back in the game after twenty minutes when Jamie Langfield failed to collect a Stephen Simmons free kick and Jamie Mole was on hand to pass the ball into the net past the stranded goalkeeper. Langfield had started the match nervously and it was
no surprise when he failed to deal with the cross.
Derek Young missed a chance for the home side when he blazed his shot over, while at the other end Mark Ferry missed a great chance when he failed to finish off some good work by Gregory Tade. It was Tade who put Raith Rovers 2-1 up. Mole seized on Aberdeen’s
Jerel Ifil’s error and passed to Tade who had the simple task of tapping the ball into the net.
Raith should have gone 3-1 up when the unmarked Laurie Ellis headed over the crossbar from an Alan Walker corner. Rovers would rue their missed opportunities and this proved to be the case in the 56th minute when Scott Vernon headed in Paul Hartley’s
free kick.
The goal spurred Aberdeen on and Chris Maguire came close when his shot went just wide. Substitute Nikola Vujadinovic went close with a header after he had come on for the injured Considine.
Aberdeen suffered another injury. This time the Captain Paul Hartley was forced to leave the pitch with a hamstring injury. Aberdeen managed to win the game without the inspirational veteran, but he may be missing for a number of important league matches.
The winning goal came in the 77th minute. A Young run resulted in a sublime cross that allowed Vernon to finish off the move with another simple tap in. Darren Mackie should have made the win certain in the closing stages of the game but he mishit
his shot with only the goalkeeper to beat. Aberdeen managed to hang and advance to the next stage of the competition.
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