1939–40 Aberdeen F.C. season

Aberdeen F.C.

1939–40 season
Manager	Dave Halliday
Scottish League Division One	suspended due to 2nd world war
Scottish Emergency League Eastern Division	4th
Scottish War Emergency Cup	1st Round
Top goalscorer	League: All: Stan Williams (26)
Highest home attendance	35,000 vs. Celtic, 12 August
Lowest home attendance	3,000 vs. Hibernian, 4 November
Home colours

Results

Division One

Main article: 1939–40 Scottish First Division

Match Day	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Aberdeen Scorer(s)	Attendance
1	12 August	Celtic	H	3–1	Christie, Hamilton (penalty), Strauss	35,000
2	19 August	Motherwell	A	0–3	Williams (2), Bremner, Millar	8,000
3	23 August	Celtic	A	3–1	Biggs, Christie, Strauss	30,000
4	26 August	Hibernian	H	3–1	Strauss (2), Hamilton	16,000
5	2 September	St Johnstone	A	0–3		6,000

Eastern Division

Main article: 1939–40 Scottish War Emergency League

Match Day	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Aberdeen Scorer(s)	Attendance
1	21 October	Raith Rovers	A	5–1	Williams (2), Smith, Pattillo, Taylor (penalty)	5,000
2	28 October	Alloa Athletic	A	3–0	Taylor, Williams	3,500
3	4 November	Hibernian	H	3–3	Bain (2), Williams	3,000
4	11 November	Dunfermline Athletic	A	3–4	Williams, Smith, Beattie	3,000
5	18 November	St Bernard's	H	3–3	Beattie (2 including 1 penalty), Taylor	4,000
6	25 November	Dundee United	A	5–3	Smith, Williams, Cooper	3,000
7	2 December	Stenhousemuir	H	6–1	Ferguson (3), Williams, Bain, Beattie	4,000
8	9 December	King's Park	A	1–2	Williams	2,000
9	16 December	Heart of Midlothian	A	2–3	Williams (2)	7,000
10	23 December	St Johnstone	H	5–1	Williams (2), Ferguson, Bain, Smith	0
11	30 December	Dundee	A	1–3	Ferguson	0
12	1 January	Arbroath	A	1–2	Williams	1,000
13	2 January	Falkirk	H	6–2	Williams (3), Ferguson, Armstrong, Strauss	5,000
14	6 January	East Fife	A	4–1	Strauss (3), Williams	0
15	13 January	Cowdenbeath	H	8–1	Williams (2), Ferguson (2), Bain (2), Pattillo, Smith	0
16	27 January	Alloa Athletic	H	3–1	Thomson (penalty), Pattillo, Hamilton	0
17	10 February	Dunfermline Athletic	H	3–0	Pattillo (3)	0
18	17 February	St Bernard's	A	1–3	Ferguson	1,000
19	9 March	King's Park	H	5–2	Pattillo (2), Taylor (2), Ferguson	0
20	16 March	Heart of Midlothian	H	3–0	Taylor, Williams, Thomson	0
21	23 March	St Johnstone	A	0–3		2,000
22	30 March	Dundee	H	3–0	Thomson (penalty), Pattillo, Ferguson	0
23	1 April	Partcik Thistle	A	1–4	Pattillo	0
24	6 April	Arbroath	H	5–2	Williams (3), Bain, Pattillo,	19,000
25	13 April	Falkirk	A	1–0	McPherson	6,000
26	20 April	East Fife	H	2–2	Pattillo, Taylor	14,000
27	24 April	Dundee United	H	3–1	Williams, Ferguson, Pattillo	0
28	4 May	Stenhousemuir	A	0–0		0
29	18 May	Hibernian	A	0–2		6,000

Final league table

Eastern division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
2	Dunfermline Athletic	29	19	2	8	80	55	+25	40
3	Heart of Midlothian	29	18	4	7	104	66	+38	40
4	Aberdeen	29	16	4	9	86	50	+36	36
5	St Johnstone	29	13	8	8	84	69	+15	34
6	Alloa Athletic	29	13	4	12	56	60	−4	30

Source:

Scottish War Emergency Cup

Main article: Scottish War Emergency Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Aberdeen Scorer(s)	Attendance
R1 L1	24 February	Albion Rovers	A	3–3	Pattillo (2), Ferguson	4,000
R1 L2	2 March	Albion Rovers	H	0–1		8,841

Squad

Appearances & Goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Division One		Scottish Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	George Johnstone	5	0	5	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Frank Dunlop	5	0	5	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Andy Cowie	5	0	5	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Sid Nicholson	5	0	5	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Willie Cooper (c)	3	0	3	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Wilfred Adey	2	0	2	0	0	0
	MF	SOU	Bill Strauss	5	4	5	4	0	0
	MF	SCO	Dave Christie	5	2	5	2	0	0
	MF	SCO	Arthur Biggs	5	1	5	1	0	0
	MF	??	George Thomson	5	0	5	0	0	0
	MF	WAL	Charlie Smith	1	0	1	0	0	0
	FW	SCO	George Hamilton	4	2	4	2	0	0
	FW	SCO	Matt Armstrong	4	0	4	0	0	0
	FW	SCO	Jock Pattillo	1	0	1	0	0	0

*Games played before league season was suspended

Unofficial Appearances & Goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Eastern Division		Scottish War Emergency Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	George Johnstone	21	0	21	0	0	0
	GK	??	Gordon Rennie	6	0	6	0	0	0
	GK	SOU	Pat Kelly	2	0	0	0	2	0
	GK	??	Alex Duguid	1	0	1	0	0	0
	GK	??	Unknown Trialist	1	0	1	0	0	0
	GK	SCO	Steve Smith	0	0	0	0	0	0
	GK	??	?? Cumming	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	??	Robert Graham	30	0	29	0	1	0
	DF	SCO	Willie Waddell	22	0	20	0	2	0
	DF	SCO	Willie Cooper (c)	10	0	10	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Douglas Anderson	10	0	8	0	2	0
	DF	SCO	Frank Dunlop	8	0	8	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Andy Cowie	2	0	1	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Wilfred Adey	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Sid Nicholson	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	??	Willie Laing	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	??	George Thomson	28	3	26	3	2	0
	MF	WAL	Charlie Smith	18	6	16	6	2	0
	MF	??	Jock Thomson	16	0	14	0	2	0
	MF	SCO	George Taylor	15	8	15	8	0	0
	MF	SCO	Dave Christie	6	0	6	0	0	0
	MF	SOU	Bill Strauss	3	4	2	4	1	0
	MF	SCO	Ritchie Smith	2	0	2	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Dick Donald	1	0	1	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Sammy Ross	1	0	1	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Frank Wilson	1	0	1	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Archie Baird	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Arthur Biggs	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	SOU	Stan Williams	27	25	26	25	1	0
	FW	SCO	Charlie Ferguson	27	13	25	12	2	1
	FW	SCO	Billy Bain	24	8	24	8	0	0
	FW	SCO	Jock Pattillo	20	15	19	13	1	2
	FW	SCO	George Scott	17	0	17	0	0	0
	FW	??	James Beattie	10	4	10	4	0	0
	FW	SCO	Willie Mills	6	0	4	0	2	0
	FW	SCO	Matt Armstrong	4	1	3	1	1	0
	FW	SCO	Ian McPherson	1	1	1	1	0	0
	FW	SCO	George Hamilton	0	0	0	0	0	0
	??	??	?? Junior	1	0	1	0	0	0

References

• Kevin Stirling. Aberdeen A Centenary History 1903-2003. Desert Island Books 2002. ISBN 1-874287-49-X.
• AFC Heritage Trust