Aberdeen held by Stenhousemuir at Pittodrie

Posted Sunday, January 20, 2019 by PA

Aberdeen and Stenhousemuir will have to do it all again after the Ladbrokes Premiership high-fliers and the League One strugglers played out a 1-1 draw in the fourth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup.

With the Warriors having lost their previous two games by an aggregate score of 9-2, Aberdeen fans might have expected a walkover, but instead they were left dreading the prospect of a repeat of Stenny’s shock win over the Dons in 1995.

Max Lowe opened the scoring for the home side after signing up for a second spell on loan from Derby, but Mark McGuigan found the net to set up a replay a week on Tuesday.

Lowe struck from close range after 20 minutes, turning home Graeme Shinnie’s cutback from the left after a neat move.

However, his goal was all the home side had to show for a first half in which they dominated possession, but seemed a touch shot-shy.

Indeed, only Sam Cosgrove came close otherwise, with his 20-yard daisy-cutter slipping through the hands of goalkeeper Graeme Smith, who will be relieved there were no Dons players around to take advantage.

The home side seemed as through they would build on their lead after the break with Gary Mackay-Steven denied only by Smith, before the keeper made a fine block from Greg Stewart, another player making a loan return to Pittodrie.

Stewart was again denied, this time by the crossbar, just after the hour and there was a feeling Aberdeen might come to regret their failure to kill the game off.

So it proved after 70 minutes when McGuigan tapped home a Ruaridh Donaldson cross from close range to stun the Pittodrie faithful.

Though the Dons pressed and harried in the search for a winner, they could not find the killer touch to avoid a replay.