Final memory still gives me Willies
Willie Falconer was just three minutes away from winning the League Cup for Aberdeen – and the memory stings to this day.
Falconer was the spearhead for Ian Porterfield’s Dons as they faced Rangers at Hampden in 1987. The striker, who won a penalty to put his side in front, then powered home a header to make it 3-2 in the 80th minute.
But with just three minutes left Rober t Fleck scored to take the game into extra-time and Rangers won on penalties. For Falconer, it was a cruel way to have victory snatched away from his side. He said: “I can remember scoring to put us 3-2 in front and thinking there surely wasn’t much time left for Rangers to get back into it. The clock was running down, and you start to allow yourself to think you’ve scored the winning goal for your hometown team in a cup final.
“After that I remember Graham Roberts and Willie Miller going up for a header in the box and I thought the referee had given us the foul.
“It then dropped to Fleck, he scored and your heart just sinks.
“That was probably the most disappointing moment in my career as we had come so close to winning the cup only to miss out on penalties in the end. In the modern game the challenge on Willie would have been a foul.
“It was a great occasion but it’s just a shame it didn’t end how we would have liked.”
Falconer would fare little better r in his next League Cup Final, appearing as a sub as Celtic were humbled by Raith Rovers in 1994.
He added: “That was another sore one. Again it was penalties and it didn’t go my way.”