Aberdeen scrape into top six with late winner

ABERDEEN manager Jimmy Calderwood last night paid tribute to his players as they prepared for Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final trip to Hampden Park by sealing their place among the top six in the Scottish Premier League.

A resourceful if rarely inspired win over Falkirk saw Aberdeen leap-frog their opponents into sixth place. The victory, achieved with a double from 19-year-old striker Chris Maguire, was not entirely deserved, and Calderwood himself sensed some injustice in Falkirk's failure to claim a first-ever place in the top half of the SPL.

However, the manager was grateful for his players helping maintain a record of top-six involvement in each of his four seasons at the club. Aberdeen also kept up an impressive run of home midweek matches without defeat, a total which now stands at 15 and includes games against the likes of Bayern Munich and FC Copenhagen. Falkirk proved just as tough opponents, but again Aberdeen prevailed.

"We have no divine right to be in the top six," Calderwood pointed out. "By our own standards over the last three years we have been poor (this season]. But to be fair the players have answered some questions in big, big games, especially at home. And they have done it again tonight in a difficult situation.

"There is a fine line between success and failure," he continued. "I have been angry many, many times this season. But with any luck we could be sitting in the sun with a cup in May, and suddenly it's not been a bad season."

Aberdeen face Queen of the South on Saturday in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup and can already reflect on a season where they have held Bayern Munich at home, and qualified from the group section of the Uefa Cup. This was another high-octane occasion at Pittodrie although in front of a crowd of 11,484 Aberdeen did not make it easy for themselves. Having taken the lead in the 21st minute through Maguire the home side let Falkirk back into it just after half-time, when Carl Finnigan capitalised on an error from Aberdeen goalkeeper Derek Soutar. But Maguire pounced seven minutes from the end to puncture Falkirk's hopes of a top-six finish.

"We can play a lot better but we went out and got a result – a very good result," said Calderwood. "We were not creating many chances but Chris has managed to get a goal from an unbelievable angle."

There was some debate about whether the ball had gone out of play as Sone Aluko recovered it in the build-up to Maguire's winner, but Falkirk manager John Hughes had no complaints. "That's football," he said. "I have spoken to one or two people, and they felt the ball was in. You just need to take it on the chin.

"It's all about results," he continued. "All credit to Aberdeen. I felt we were the better team and that we created the better chances, and I am so, so proud of my players. It's just disappointing that it didn't go our way. This was a cup final for us. One or two maybe stopped playing when we scored the equaliser, but they are a young team.

" If I have one apology to make then it's to the supporters, and I am just sorry we never got them there (into the top six]. But it wasn't from not having a go."

Calderwood is not a fan of the split in the league, but appreciates the reward of bigger pay-days against the top teams in Scotland. While a third-place finish seems beyond the Pittodrie side they can at least fix their sights on Hibs and Dundee United, who are both six points in front.

"You just wonder about it (the split], but it's there and we have to get on with it," said Calderwood. "And we are very proud that since we have been here we have never been out of it. Three years at this club has aged me 20 years – I am really only 30! You want to win everything you are involved in, and you want to play Rangers and Celtic, and Hibs, Motherwell and Dundee United. And luckily we are there."