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There’s no need to flip through the log books or open the matter up for debate.
With a stroke of the pen last night, Darvel registered the biggest upset since the first of the 149 editions of the Scottish Cup was held in 1873-74.
To all the tastes Berwick Rangers and Inverness had previously sent shockwaves through the game with their giant-slaying acts, none compare to this; a team in the sixth division taking down a team from the first division.
Sixth tier Darvel pulled off the biggest upset in Scottish Cup history on Monday
Fully 56 places below the Dons on the Scottish football ladder, little Darvel is the plankton in the game. They shouldn’t have had a chance, but they more than deserved a win that will truly shock everyone.
The performance of each of Mick Kennedy’s players was remarkable. The headlines were made by Jordan Kirkpatrick, scorer of the decisive goal in the first half, but the minnows went against a magnificent man.
Their prize is a draw at home with Falkirk in the fifth round. It may be some time before anyone involved can focus on that.
For Aberdeen, this means the end of Jim Goodwin. The statistics relating to the Dons coach – a 13th loss of the season, just one win since the World Cup – are now largely irrelevant.
They knocked out Premiership side Aderdeen, who have won the Cup seven times.
No manager survives results like these. Chairman Dave Cormack traveled to Ayrshire last night and the look from him at full time said it all. It is inconceivable that the Irishman will take charge of the team against Hibs this weekend. No matter what he does in management, this is a night Goodwin will never forget. For Aberdeen as a club, it’s a desperate low point. Embarrassingly, the players seemed well beaten long before the end.
Darvel had reached the fourth round as recently as last year only to be beaten by Arbroath at Gayfield. Yet everything about it felt like the most important game in the club’s 134-year history. The sight of TV cameras being unloaded from the trucks added to the sense of anticipation in the Ayrshire town.
This game was deemed worthy of a wider audience due to its potential to deliver a monumental surprise, though probably few thought it possible.
All of Mick Kennedy’s players had a remarkable performance in the tie
It had to be given to the leaders of the West of Scotland League. With the capacity at Recreation Park only a few thousand it would have been easier to shift the game to Rugby Park and earn some much needed extra cash.
By keeping it on their own soil, their commitment to being a community club was beyond question.
Decked out in blue and white, more than half of the city’s 4,000 residents huddled on the ground in hopes of making history. Even with a reduced allowance, there were still around 1000 Aberdeen fans in attendance. It was everything magical about this stage of the competition.
If the recent travails on Goodwin’s side had given Darvel another reason to dream, there was no shortage of reminders of the scale of the task ahead. Play how they could and Aberdeen shouldn’t have been afraid. Easier said than done, as it became known.
A cursory glance at Darvel’s squad pointed to his ability to cause trouble here. Ross Caldwell, Daryll Meggatt, and Ian McShane. Familiar names with experience at higher levels. They will not be discouraged by this challenge.
Jordan Kirkpatrick scored the goal in the 19th minute that made Scottish football history
It was the kind of night Goodwin would have enjoyed as a player, but it was legitimate to question how his players saw it. In the manager’s words, they had been ‘dismal’ on the Kilmarnock road over Christmas and ‘pathetic’ at Tynecastle last week.
With supporters’ confidence in the team rapidly evaporating, this had all the makings of a difficult night.
There was a first start for Patrik Myslovic but no place in the side for Bojan Miovski. With Kelle Roos injured, Joe Lewis remained in goal, with manager Craig Samson having to fill a place on the bench.
On a pristine playing surface, the minnows knew immediately that they were prepared to go toe to toe with the men from the northeast.
Aberdeen eventually settled, with Ryan Duncan feeding Duk. Eight meters away, the forward got terribly tangled with his feet and the opportunity was gone.
They deserved to take the lead and were impressive at the back throughout the game.
Duncan was one of the few in white who started out positively. Running into Leighton Clarkson’s punching pass, he let it fly but couldn’t deflect his shot over the right side of the post.
Within seconds, the teen dropped one shoulder to make a yard of space. His curling effort was smart but wide.
Darvel was impressive on the back foot and quickly turned defense into attack. At Craig Truesdale, Kennedy had a player who was willing to shoot on sight. He had three efforts in the first exchanges, all of which worried Lewis.
It cannot be said that the premiere was poorly deserved. Truesdale advanced on the left. Ylber Ramadani’s attempt to stop him was regrettable. Hayden Coulson only half cleared the cross. When he returned to Kirkpatrick through Willie Robertson, he had only one thing on his mind. Lewis could have been beaten in either case, but a deflection from Coulson did it for him. Three quarters of the ground erupted in wild celebration.
It is now difficult to see a way forward for Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin.
Goodwin could only watch in horror as the player, who had been on Alloa, was suffocated under a pile of bodies.
Passive, slow and predictable, Aberdeen sleepwalked towards the most ignominious defeat in their 120-year history. A blocked shot from Ramadani was all they could muster in response before the break.
There was only one team playing football in the first half and they weren’t the big favourites.
Goodwin sent Miovski and Vicente Besuijen off at half-time and Jonny Hayes shortly after. There was a little more about them, though that wasn’t difficult.
Darvel goalkeeper Chris Truesdale took 56 minutes to make a save when he denied Duncan a touch. McShane had just come close to getting Darvel’s second with a fizzy shot from 25 yards.
More than half of Darvel’s 4,000 residents turned up to see the famous victory.
The more Aberdeen tried, the more confused his thinking became. Hayes managed to panic Darvel’s defense with a dart and cross, but Besuijen was unable to complete the finish.
Miovski had the ball in the net only to find that Clarkson had been flagged for offside. It was a desperately poor call from the linesman.
Another cross from Hayes went down very well for Besuijen. However, more heroics from Truesdale kept Darvel’s lead.
The final stages were virtually an attack versus defense game. Aberdeen asked more questions, but found that Darvel had all the answers.
When the final whistle blew, the roar of the home supporters would have been heard across Ayrshire. It was going to be the longest night in Lang Toon. For Aberdeen, the consequences will be nuclear.