Keeper saves blushes as Germans dominate makeshift side

St Pauli 1 - 0 Aberdeen. ABERDEEN ended their German tour on a losing note in Hamburg as they went down by a single goal to Bundesliga hopefuls St Pauli.

The Dons were always under the cosh as a makeshift midfield struggled to contain their German counterparts, injuries ruling out Ilian Kiriakov, Nigel Pepper and Andreas Mayer.

For Mayer missing the game was a bitter disappointment as he had been looking forward to meeting up with old friends after spending what he describes as three of the most enjoyable years of his career with St Pauli.

For Jim Leighton a knee injury meant he was to spend his 41st birthday sitting on the sidelines but his deputy, 29-year-old Ryan Esson, did his chances of first team football no harm with a splendid display.

There was an early scare for the Dons as Robbie Winters went down under a hefty challenge from home skipper Trulsen, but there were sighs of relief all round as he recovered without having to receive treatment.

From the resulting free kick the home defence did well to beat down two vicious drives from Dons new boy Jamie McAllister.

Five minutes later Esson saw his first serious action when good work by Burger and Polunin set up a shooting chance for Markus Lotter, but the goalkeeper was perfectly placed to deal with the stinging shot.

The Dons goal survived another scare in the 13th minute when Lotters' corner found Trulsen in isolation at the far post but somehow the defender contrived to head over from only two yards when it seemed certain he would open the scoring.

St Pauli continued to press and striker Marcus Marin, who was a constant thorn in the flesh of the Dons rearguard was only inches wide with a fine 20-yard effort.

Skipper Andre' Trulsen was determined to get his name on the scoresheet but Esson was again lively to the situation as he tipped the defender's rising shot over the bar.

The opening half hour hardly saw the Dons as an attacking force but they did create a great scoring opportunity in 35 minutes when a deep cross by Ricky Gillies picked out Winters racing in on goal, but he could only direct his header straight at Wehlmann in the home goal.

Eoin Jess was having a quiet game in midfield but he found space on the right to fire over a cross into the path of McAllister but when he pulled the ball back no strikers were in the box to take advantage.

Three minutes before the interval Aberdeen had Esson to thank for keeping their pre-season goals against tally at zero when he made a superb block at the feet of Marin.

St Pauli introduced striker Pereira in place of the Croatian Ivan Klasnic and his pace immediately caused the Aberdeen defence problems.

The substitute forced a corner on the left and from the kick Mazda powered a header against the bar.

The goal however, which was richly deserved, was only delayed four minutes as Wolf raced down the left before firing over a great near post cross for Marin to bullet a header past Esson.

Both sides made numerous substitutions but the new faces in the Aberdeen ranks struggled to change the pattern of play. However, Jim Hamilton produced Aberdeen's closest effort to a goal in 69 minutes when he rose well at the far post to send a powerful header just inches wide.

After the match Dons assistant boss Tommy Moller Nielsen said he was disappointed with Aberdeen's second half performance. "I thought we were very organised in the first half particularly in defence. Although we had to field a makeshift midfield I thought they did very well.

"We trained very hard this morning and perhaps it showed in the econd half as the players had no energy left. It has been a very useful exercise coming to Germany, we have trained very hard and the boys are taking on board the new ideas which Ebbe Skovdahl and I have about the way we should play."

Aberdeen return to Scotland tomorrow when they hope they can clinch the signing of Sheffield United goalkeeper Alan Kelly in time for Tuesday's friendly match at Pittodrie against Coventry City.

Copyright 1999
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