Stavrum ends dream 
 
Highlanders bow out as Aberdeen striker kills off fairy-tale cup run 

NEIL McLEMAN 
INVERNESS Caledonian Thistle’s famous Tennents Scottish Cup campaign came 
to an end last night, but another unlikely tale of succeeding against the 
odds continues to be fuelled with every passing week.

Aberdeen, thanks to a late headed goal by Arild Stavrum, extended their 
unbeaten run to nine games to set up a quarter-final tie with Dundee United 
at an expectant Pittodrie to further justify Ebbe Skovdahl’s Bank of 
Scotland Manager of the Month award for February.

The Dons deserved their win against the conquerors of Celtic in a 
hard-fought game but it required a marvellous save in the last minute by 
Jim Leighton to turn aside a full-blooded volley from Paul Sheerin to 
prevent the tie seeping into extra time.

It wasn’t to be and history was not to repeat itself. Caley, who had brought 
so much to this competition with their unhibited performances both on and 
off the pitch in winning at Celtic Park and holding Aberdeen in the first 
leg, could not overcome a side who matched their organisation and possessed 
the extra quality that made the difference to the tie.

Aberdeen were missing the injured Derek Whyte and Robbie Winters from the 
team which defeated Hibs 4-0 on Saturday, although Leighton started his 
20th consecutive game with the help of 11 stitches around his right eye.

Cato Guntveit, the scorer of the late equaliser in the Caledonian Stadium 
in the first leg, missed the replay after also picking up a booking the 
same night. Andreas Mayer, Mark Perry and Hicham Zerouali – returning from 
Olympic duty with Morocco – came in.

As further evidence of these cosmopolitan times, Inverness were welcoming 
back two players from foreign fields, with Richard Hastings and Davide 
Xausa starting the game only 24 hours after arriving back in the country 
from Canada’s Gold Cup triumph in Los Angeles.

The Moroccan influence was much the stronger on the earlier proceedings, 
with Zerouali linking incisively with Mayer and Stavrum from his right-sided 
berth in the early exchanges and also directing a careful volley into 
Jim Calder’s clasp from a Jamie McAllister cross.

The Inverness goalkeeper knew less about a save he made after 18 minutes. 
Rachid Belabed touched a free kick to Thomas Solberg and the Norwegian’s 
drive cannoned off the forearm of the bemused Calder, who stood rooted to 
the goal line, and fortuitously away for a corner.

But with Bobby Mann excellent in the centre of defence and Stuart Golabek 
slowly getting to grips with Zerouali, Inverness were not to be breached 
and Charlie Christie began to find some space to spray passes from the 
centre of the field.

A bustling foray down the right flank by Stavrum and a resulting acrobatic, 
yet wayward, overhead kick from Zerouali, was all Aberdeen had left to offer 
in the half.

Stavrum and Belabed tested Calder with shots from distance at the start of 
the second period but Inverness fashioned the best chance of the 
increasingly frustrating encounter after 56 minutes. Xausa and Wilson 
combined to send Ross Tokely through on goal but the midfiellder’s delicate
dink was pushed wide by Leighton.

The frenetic pace and fierce midfield tackling prevented any sustained, 
flowing passing and Mayer became the first into Kenny Clark’s notebook 
with a late lunge on Hastings.

The breakthrough eventually came after 75 minutes with a move of pleasing 
simplicity. Zerouali fed Andy Dow and his right-footed cross from the left 
was glanced home by Stavrum. After an uncertain start to his Scottish 
career, it was the Norwegian’s sixth goal in seven games. Aberdeen nearly 
closed the game a minute later when Young broke into the box and drew 
Calder before crossing, but Zerouali’s back flick was blocked on the line 
by Stuart Golabek. Calder appeared to pull a groin muscle and limped 
through the remainder of the game but the remaining action came at the 
other end.

With six minutes left, a Mann free kick was deflected narrowly wide by the 
shins of Paul Bernard while Inverness’s two substitutes, Martin Bavidge 
and Denis Wyness, combined to create an even better chance with two minutes
remaining but Wyness, the former Aberdeen man, failed to convert a low 
cross with the goal gaping. Leighton then saved the day to achieve what 
Celtic could not.

Whether it is an omen for the CIS Insurance Cup final on 19 March, only 
time will tell.

Attendance: 18,451


Aberdeen: Leighton, Perry, Anderson, Solberg, McAllister, Bernard, Belabed, 
Mayer, Dow, Stavrum, Zerouali. Subs: Preece, D. Young, Rutkiewicz.

Inverness CT: Calder, Teasdale, Golabek, Mann, Tokely, Hastings, Sheerin, 
McCulloch, Christie, Wilson, Xausa. Subs: Wyness, Bavidge, Byers.

Referee: K Clark.