Aberdeen 0 - 0 Inverness CT

League Match
Monday, December 27th, 2004, 7:45 PM at Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen
Attendance: 18,250
Referee: John Underhill
Aberdeen Inverness CT

Goalscorers
None. None.

Team Managers
Jimmy Calderwood Craig Brewster

Starting Eleven
Esson
Hart
Anderson
Diamond
McNaughton
Clark
Heikkinen
Severin
Foster
Mackie
Stewart
Mark Brown
Ross Tokely
Grant Munro
Stuart Golabek
Darren Dods
Roy McBain
Russell Duncan
Richie Hart
Liam Keogh
Graham Bayne
Juanjo Carricondo

Bench
Considine
Blanchard
McGuire
Morrison
Muirhead
O'Leary
Michael Fraser
Richard Hastings
Stuart McCaffrey
David Proctor
Barry Wilson
Liam Fox
Bryan Prunty

Substitutions
Muirhead -> Clark (72)
McGuire -> Stewart (79)
Bryan Prunty for Juanjo Carricondo (90)

Bookings
None. Darren Dods (60)
Grant Munro (60)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 113 apps -
Grant Munro 110 apps2 goals
Stuart Golabek 188 apps4 goals
Darren Dods 10 apps -
Ross Tokely 304 apps22 goals
Roy McBain 187 apps10 goals
Russell Duncan 133 apps2 goals
Liam Keogh 85 apps3 goals
Richie Hart 85 apps13 goals
Juanjo Carricondo 22 apps4 goals
Graham Bayne 22 apps5 goals
Bryan Prunty (sub) 14 apps -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (25 years 301 days)
Oldest Player:Grant Munro (2006 years 149 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 301 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:David Proctor (20 years 302 days)
Oldest Player:Michael Fraser (2006 years 149 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 289 days
Domestic Players:17 (94.44 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Another first; an away league game at 'home'. Despite the lack of goals this was an exciting end-to-end match, played in a cold, swirling wind.

In the early stages it was Aberdeen who looked like scoring but, as the game went on, ICT came very close on several occasions. In the second minute a corner from Aberdeen's Chris Clark was headed goalwards by Zander Diamond, but it came off the post amidst sharp intakes of breath from the large visiting support.

Three minutes later, a good move at the other end led to a Roy McBain low ball across goal from the left, but nobody could take advantage. The pressure returned to the Inverness end, and a Scott Severin shot from outside the box was deflected for a corner.

There was a major let-off in 16 minutes when Stuart Golabek cleared a shot from Markus Heikkinen off the line. A curling ball into the six-yard area from Grant Munro in 20 minutes was turned goalwards by Graham Bayne's overhead kick, but Esson took it late at the top corner.

Esson had to be quick to collect a loose ball four minutes later with Bayne nearly on it - Bayne went down but nothing was given.

Liam Keogh sent a curling shot past the post in 29 minutes then Mark Brown took the ball at the feet of John Stewart. The best ICT chance of the half came in 33 minutes when a curling Ross Tokely cross from the right was met by McBain, but his diving header went past. Juanjo was, as usual, a real threat and, as the first half came to an end, he lobbed over then was tackled by Russell Anderson as he closed in on goal.

Half Time: 0-0

Straight from the restart there was controversy, as Tokely went down injured in his own box and the referee allowed play to continue around him. The game was only stopped when Richie Hart also took a knock. The pressure on the Aberdeen goal increased and Hart shot over before a glancing header from Tokely forced a fine save from Esson.

A bad pass-back on the hour mark allowed Juanjo in, but Esson saved well. Esson was again the hero with 20 minutes left when he blocked shots from Bayne and Juanjo in quick succession and Russell Duncan's follow-up was eventually cleared.

Esson held an on-target Bayne header in 76 minutes. In a final Dons flurry, Brown had problems with a Richard Foster corner in the wind, but Duncan cleared the danger. Substitute Scott Muirhead then sent in a low, dangerous ball from the left but it came to nothing. In the end a draw was about right, but both teams regretted their missed chances.

Full Time: 0-0

Craig Brewster must clearly be in the frame for the December Manager of the Month award; unbeaten in four games, a win at Motherwell and points taken off Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen.

ICT now turn the year in eighth place, four points above bottom-placed Dundee United.

Match report written by Ian Broadfoot



Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Celtic 20 16 2 2 47 18 29 50
2. Rangers 20 15 4 1 42 9 33 49
3. Hibernian 20 11 3 6 35 28 7 36
4. Aberdeen 20 10 5 5 23 19 4 35
5. Motherwell 20 9 2 9 28 27 1 29
6. Hearts 19 7 6 6 19 16 3 27
7. Kilmarnock 20 7 2 11 27 36 -9 23
8. Inverness CT 20 4 7 9 20 29 -9 19
9. Dunfermline 20 4 5 11 17 29 -12 17
10. Livingston 19 4 4 11 16 30 -14 16
11. Dundee 20 4 4 12 19 38 -19 16
12. Dundee Utd 20 3 6 11 19 33 -14 15