Mens 2 Vs Aberdeen Uni

Dundee Wanderers II got the second half of their outdoor season underway against Aberdeen University II in a fixture scheduled to have been played in November but was cancelled due to snow.

In previous years this would be expected to be an easy three points and a healthy addition to Wanderers’ goal difference but the students have vastly improved this season and find themselves in third position in the league following some strong results.

Indeed, it was Aberdeen Uni who started the brighter and had several circle penetrations in the opening fifteen minutes including a great chance to take the lead when the opposition forwards found themselves two-on-one against Lewis Beer in the Wanderers goal, a passing move took Beer out of the equation but the away striker got the ball caught in his feet when faced with an open goal.

This jolted Wanderers into action and it was the home side who created the better chances in the remainder of the first half. Scott Glashan was presented with a scoring opportunity but his first time shot was well wide of goal. The industrious Grant Hunter was the next Wanderers player to find his way into the visitor’s circle and it was his run along the baseline and pass that lead to Greig Jamieson having a chance to score, but he saw his shot deflected wide by a defender. From the resulting long corner Grant Hunter again drove his way along the opposition baseline before cutting the ball back to Benny Gibson who made no mistake in firing the ball high into the net for the opening goal.

Wanderers extended their lead to two goals shortly after. A penalty corner switch found its way back to Gibson who flicked the ball home from close range. Aberdeen had a chance to get to within one goal but their opportunity in the closing minutes was thwarted by a defensive combination of Bruce Rowan and Lewis Beer.

The second half saw Wanderers take up a defensive stance to hold onto their lead while the students tried to get back into the game. Although Wanderers allowed the visitors to have more of the ball in the second half Aberdeen lacked the cutting edge to make it count and any circle penetrations were comfortably dealt with by the home defence. The final word in this game could have been Wanderers’ but Grant Hunter was unfortunate to see his shot rebound off the outside of the post.

So, a solid victory without being outstanding sees Wanderers keep in touch with Gordonians at the top of the league and it was certainly a good way to return to outdoor after a long lay-off. Wanderers now look forward to a double header weekend at home to St Andrews University II on Saturday and away to Bon Accord MBC on Sunday.