Aberdeen 2 Dundee 2

Last updated : 20 December 2003 By Footymad Previewer

It was honours even at Pittodrie as Aberdeen and Dundee fought out a highly entertaining 2-2 draw in dreadful conditions.

In the early exchanges Nacho Novo was prominent in the Dundee attack, getting behind the Dons defence. However his parting shots failed to trouble David Preece.

Zander Diamond earned himself a needless yellow card in nine minutes with a desperate late lunge which left Brent Sancho on the deck.

With 25 minutes gone, Dundee ought to have opened their account. Nacho Novo teased Diamond wide on the left before finding Mark Fotheringham inside the area.

He unselfishly played the ball into the path of David Mackay and with the goal at his mercy he shot wildly over.

Novo's pace again caused Aberdeen problems in 36 minutes when he latched on to a long throughball from Lee Wilkie, the diminutive striker skipped away from Russell Anderson before striding into the area. From an acute angle David Preece did well to block his left-foot shot at the expense of a corner.

In 43 minutes it was the home side who took the lead in similar fashion to last Saturday when Scott Morrison's whipped free-kick found the head of Anderson who powered the ball home from eight yards.

But the lead lasted less than a minute when the Dons replaced Diamond with Paul Sheerin. While the home side were re-organising their defence, Mackay flighted a long free-kick into the box.

Tom Hutchinson was on hand to hook the ball home on the half-volley from eight yards.

Seven minutes into the second half Dundee took the lead when a Lee Mair free-kick straight down the middle was flicked on by Wilkie into the path of Novo, who had time inside the area to flash the ball beyond the exposed Preece from six yards out.

Back came the Dons when a Morrison goalbound strike took a wicked deflection off Jonay Hernandez and wide of goal.

In 58 minutes Steve Tosh picked up a weak clearance by the Dundee defence before picking out Leigh Hinds, who took a good first touch before driving the ball home from 12 yards aided by a slight deflection off the unfortunate Wilkie.

Sheerin was desperately unlucky to see a screaming 35-yard drive dip narrowly past the upright with Speroni struggling to get across the line.

The Dons had a further chance in 77 minutes when David Zdrilic picked the ball up on the edge of the area before firing in a right-foot shot which Speroni required two touches to hold.

Dons midfielder Tosh passed up an excellent chance in 84 minutes to secure all three points when he forced his way into the box, but Speroni was again the visitors' saviour as he blocked the ball away and Hernandez was on hand to complete the clearance.