BUDDIES BLOWN AWAY BY DONS
Craig Ritchie St Mirren’s cup dream descended into a nightmare as they were taught a footballing lesson at Pittodrie for the second year running.
It is no exaggeration to suggest that the Buddies were lucky to escape from Aberdeen with just a 4-0 defeat having been pegged back and outplayed from the first minute to the very last.
On another day it could have been six or seven had Aberdeen made even half of their chances count.
The tie was already over inside the opening half hour thanks to goals from Gary Mackay-Steven, Graeme Shinnie and Stevie May – but even when Aberdeen took their foot off the gas Saints couldn’t get close.
Mackay- Steven completed the rout with a second- half penalty to send the Saints home with much to ponder.
Annihilated doesn’t even begin to cover a first-half performance.
Three goals inside the opening half an hour killed any cup hopes stone dead as Aberdeen blew the Saints away.
Alarmingly, the half-time scoreline actually flattered a St Mirren side who had no answers whatsoever for their hosts before Steven McLean’s half-time whistle offered some brief respite for the travelling faithful… who must have wondered why they had bothered.
The warning signs were there from the very first whistle as Aberdeen went agonisingly close to opening the scoring after just eight seconds.
Dom Ball’s header to Mackay-Steven saw the latter cut back for May but the striker could only fire straight at Craig Samson in goal.
Waking up on Sunday, Hayden Coulson would have been having harrowing flashbacks of MackaySteven as the winger tormented him throughout the half.
Clever footwork and step- overs from Mackay-Steven beat Coulson all ends up but this time Lewis Ferguson’s downward header was tipped over the bar by Samson’s faintest of fingertips.
Moments later Mackay- Steven chanced his luck again after Scott Wright outmuscled Stephen McGinn as the Dons launched a counter attack but his strike was again easily gathered by the keeper.
Michael Devlin’s header from a corner continued the onslaught – and at this stage it is worth pointing out there was only 10 minutes played.
A rare chance for St Mirren saw Nicolai Brock- Madsen head over from a Coulson free- kick but any glimmer of hope that Saints may finally settle into the game was shattered as the floodgates finally opened in 16 minutes.
Ferguson, who had been impressive in the opening stages, held off the challenge of Paul McGinn on St Mirren’s right before crossing for Mackay-Steven to clinically volley past Samson with the help of a Coulson deflection.
Aberdeen then doubled their lead in 20 minutes as Mackay-Steven again swung over for Shinnie to head home at the far post.
And the tie was over as a contest six minutes later when Scott Wright seized upon Samson’s poor pass to Cole Kpekawa to race into the box before cutting back for May to lash into the top corner.
Some disgruntled fans made their way to the exit by that point but for those that remained there was still little to cheer about.
Mackay-Steven could have made it four up three minutes before the break but Samson blocked with his feet.
Meanwhile, Saints’ frustrations were there for all to see as McGinn took out his anger on Wright with a lunging challenge which the referee deemed a booking.
The half- time whistle brought a standing ovation from the home support but for St Mirren it was more a sigh of relief.
Any dreams that Aberdeen would take their foot off the pedal in the second half were quickly dispelled as Wright gave them a reminder of their first-half torment with a jinking run that required Samson to again save.
New Saints signing Alfie Jones was introduced for Kpekawa in 51 minutes but he could do nothing about Aberdeen’s fourth as they hammered home their advantage.
Mackay-Steven had Coulson’s number all afternoon and another mazy run saw the youngster bring him down just inside the box, leaving the ref no option but to point to the penalty spot.