Aberdeen 1 Hibs 2

Last updated : 14 April 2012 By Ed_ScottishFitba

Hibs and Aberdeen fans headed to Hampden in their thousands to see who would make it back for the Scottish Cup final on 19 May. The traditional routes were filled with minibuses stopped for comfort breaks as the good idea of early morning drinking started to feel like a bad idea. The comfort breaks may not be so funny on the road back to Aberdeen after Hibs ran out 2-1 winners thanks to goals by Garry O'Conner and Leigh Griffiths. Aberdeen scored their, what turned out to be in consolation, goal early in the second half when Rory Fallon lobbed Graham Stack on the half-volley to get Aberdeen out of their lethargy. Both sides appeared nervous in the first half with the Dons being guilty of not being quick enough to react for the first goal. The whole defence looked as if they thought the ball was out of danger when it fell to Pa Kujabi on the left, he steered the ball to O'Connor when he had been ignored by five defenders and Jason Brown. O'Connor appeared to have all day to cup the ball on his right instep and pass the ball into the net. Scoring so early is not really a cause for celebration for Hibs fans as their favourites have been in the lead before only to lose out in the end. 87 minutes is a long time to suffer before being able to breath again. However, the first half did not bring many frights to the green and white clad fans as Aberdeen looked to be out of sorts with no cutting edge. I am still trying to remember when Stack was called into action in the first 45 minutes. 
 
Garry O'Coonor scores for Hibs (c) Russell Senddon

The second half was thankfully a bit brighter with Aberdeen actually spending some time in the Hibs half. It was Hibs turn to be tentative and the pressure on their goal eventually told when Fallon controlled the ball about 20 metres out and then lobbed Stack to bring the Dons fans to life. Hibs lost Stack to what looked like a hamstring injury, which would bring about a worrying (for Hibs fans) five minutes of extra time. Mark Brown was called to action which was a surprise to his parents who had not gone to Hampden as they did not think he would get a game. A quick dash to the TV showed their boy doing enough during the second half to keep Hibs calm at the back. He had one shot to save, which was his first touch of the ball, diving to his right to hold the ball. The game finally had some excitement as the ball moved from end to end with a degree of speed. Some poor decision making on both sides meant the minutes ticked away towards the 84 minute still at 1-1. By the 85 minute, the score was 1-2 to Hibs as O'Connor and Griffiths linked up to give Hibs the lead. With the Aberdeen defence stretched across the pitch, O'Connor slipped the ball to Griffiths who drilled the ball into the net. He had been trying long range efforts most  of the game but the winning goal was a close range effort. They all count and he celebrated then and after extra time with glee. If he maintains his commitment and concentration and understanding with O'Connor, the final in May could be an interesting day out.