Stenny saviour Guigsy leaves Dons red-faced
Mark Mcguigan scored his 10th goal in the last 11 games for Stenhousemuir but admits the one that left Aberdeen with red faces tops the lot.
The Dons seemed to be moving comfortably, if hardly inspiringly, into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup but the Stenny hit man had other ideas.
He sprawled full length to send a diving header soaring into the net 20 minutes from time as the League One side earned a deserved second crack at the Premiership big boys.
It might not have been as dramatic as when a Tommy Steele double left Aberdeen singing the blues as Roy Aitken’s side were dumped out of the Scottish Cup when they last met 24 years ago.
But at full time Mcguigan and his team mates celebrated with their 261 travelling fans as though they had won the famous old trophy itself and the striker might still be carrying those on now. He said: ”It’s probably the most high-profile goal of my career and one that I’ll be able to look back on. I’ll have a few beers tonight to celebrate.
“I always thought I’d get a chance and I knew that I had to take it.
“We now need to make it as difficult as we can for them in the replay and again we need to take our chances when they come along.
“Premiership teams come here and struggle so we’ve done great to get the replay. “The goal was one of those slow motion things. When the ball hit the net it all went quiet. Then we heard the Stenny support who were great today.
“The last 20 minutes was all about holding on. It felt like the ref said there was a minute to go about four or five times.”
Aberdeen will just be relieved things didn’t get any worse on a day that must be the most embarrassing suffered since Derek Mcinnes took over.
It was certainly a nervy end to a game they should have put to bed by the hour mark but after a poor first half of few chances they came up against an inspired keeper and dogged defenders.
Graeme Smith made a series of fine stops after the break while those in front put their bodies on the line to earn that second chance at Ochilview on Tuesday week. That was in the bag when Ruaridh Donaldson whipped over a delicious cross from the left and Mcguigan applied a wonderful diving header past an underemployed Joe Lewis.
Aberdeen, with Max Lowe back from Derby County on loan and Greg Stewart another returnee after his spell on loan at Kilmarnock, had seemed in total control.
Both had a hand in the goal with Birmingham City’s on loan midfielder part of the link-up while Lowe applied the finish from Graeme Shinnie’s cut back.
Afterwards, Stenhousemuir manager Colin Mcmenamin revealed he had already used up their share of the gate money to add a couple of players and the replay might help him strengthen further.
“I’ve been thinking about things all week and how we can get a positive result and I am just thinking about the players, the travelling fans and the board.
“The board will be delighted because the replay can help the club and just getting this tie helped me bring in a couple of players already this window.
“There’s still a wee bit left from that to get another couple and the replay will bring in some more money.
“The board will be happy with that and hopefully I can get some of that pot and get someone else in.” Stenny keeper
didn’t have much to do in the first half but he made a string of crucial saves in the second to keep his team in the tie.