Scottish Cup holders Aberdeen squeeze past Raith thanks to Jack Milne goal

An early goal from homegrown defender Jack Milne was enough to see Scottish Gas Scottish Cup holders Aberdeen through to the fifth round as 1-0 winners against William Hill Championship club Raith.

The Dons were determined not to suffer a similar embarrassment to Crystal Palace, who fell at the first hurdle of their defence of the English FA Cup last weekend courtesy of non-league Macclesfield.

Interim boss Peter Leven handed an immediate debut to loan signing Lyall Cameron, one of four changes to the side who had fallen 2-0 to Rangers last time out.

Raith, meanwhile, had nothing to lose on their visit to Pittodrie and brought Josh Mullin back into the line-up who went down 3-2 to Arbroath in their previous match.

Aberdeen started strongly, pinning the Kirkcaldy men back in the opening stages, and their opener after just nine minutes was deserved, if fortunate.

Cameron’s corner was flicked on at the near post by Dante Polvara and the ball was bundled over the line by Milne, his initial effort seeming to come off his shoulder before coming back off goalkeeper Josh Rae and eventually crossing the line off Milne’s back.

However, the home team were unable to use the early goal as a springboard and caused their own problems at the back. A loose Nicky Devlin header got caught between the feet of Polvara, eventually forcing keeper Dimitar Mitov into making a save against his own man.

The Dons immediately charged up the pitch, with Topi Keskinen’s cross miscued by defender Darragh O’Connor to concede a corner from which Polvara headed narrowly wide.

There was another scare for the Dons as Leighton Clarkson misjudged a passback, forcing Mitov to hack the ball away off his own line.

The action calmed somewhat thereafter, both sides keeping each other at arm’s length, but straight after half-time there was another near disaster in the penalty area as Raith defender Ewan Wilson deflected a Devlin cross off his own post.

Aberdeen looked a little more creative in the second half, with Kevin Nisbet denied by Josh Rae before, after Graeme Shinnie had kept the ball alive, Nisbet squared for substitute Jesper Karlsson who saw his shot deflected over.

Karlsson was looking lively and his cross forced a corner which Milne could not quite direct on target.

And the home side fashioned an opening in the final minute, Nisbet failing to connect with Keskinen’s cutback before, in stoppage time, Nisbet again turned played in for Karlsson who saw Rae block, much to the Swede’s disbelief.