Championship rivals can draw satisfaction from stalemate Pittodrie plus points for both Aberdeen and Rangers camps

weighed down by anxiety. A draw at Pittodrie was not exactly a disgrace

and, besides, there were encouraging signs for Rangers and also

Aberdeen, although Willie Miller's men must start winning more

frequently at home.

As striker Scott Booth said after the match, there have been too many

draws at Pittodrie already this season and every footballer knows the

foundations of a championship-winning campaign must be laid at home, but

the manner in which they refused to fold when a goal and a man down does

augur well.

Booth's current form also holds the promise of better things for

Aberdeen and Scotland. His confidence is running high and he has found

his scoring touch, as six goals in six starts tends to prove. Long may

his good form continue because he is a player whose skills deserve to be

displayed before packed houses.

In the past couple of seasons he has been inconsistent and, at times,

has looked unsure of his ability to bridge the gap between good young

player and polished professional. Now, at last, Booth appears prepared

to take his career up a level.

He put Aberdeen in front with a stylish finish which brought a nod of

approval from the best keeper in the country, Andy Goram, as he left

Pittodrie an hour or so after the match.

It was a display of recognition which Booth should have been

attracting long before now. Better late than never and Booth should

avoid wasting any more time lost in doubt, not that to hear him talk

anyone would suspect uncertainty could ever undermine him.

Booth talks with an eloquence and the measured tone of a much older

person. There is no hyperbole and never any wild predictions. He killed

off a conversation during which attempts were made to draw him on recent

stories linking him with a transfer by saying quietly and politely:

''Rumour. That's all it was.''

Others may have panicked and said more than was good for them, but not

Booth. These days he is alert on and off the pitch.

His intention at the start of the game was to maintain his scoring

rate and a goal in 13 minutes gave him even greater confidence. ''It

helped settle me,'' he said and it also helped him give defenders Basile

Boli and Richard Gough some difficult times.

Gough, in fact, had another good game at the heart of the defence even

though he had to maintain a dialogue with Boli almost constantly. The

Frenchman always seems to be fighting against an inner desire to charge

forward in support of his attack and, to be perfectly honest, the sight

of Boli bearing down would frighten the most-seasoned keeper, but Gough

prefers him to use his power in defence of Rangers.

''I think Boli, who is probably typical of the kind of defender to be

found in Rangers' teams in recent seasons in that he is big, strong, and

capable, is taking time to find his feet, but he seemed to catch the

pace well in the second half,'' Booth said. ''As for Brian Laudrup, I

thought he was fantastic. He has class, although I felt we coped well

with him in the second half.''

It was Laudrup who inspired Rangers after they had fallen behind to

Booth's goal and his runs began to mesmerise Aberdeen's defence. In

fact, he enticed Gary Smith, an extremely capable defender, out of

position before lifting the ball on to Mark Hateley's head a few minutes

from half-time.

Once again Theo Snelders was unable to play against Rangers and

Michael Watt had to stand in. As Hateley launched himself at the perfect

delivery, Watt might have whimpered. Hateley scored, of course, and not

for the first time against poor Michael, who lost a second goal in 71

minutes when Craig Moore finished off another splendid Laudrup

contribution.

Neil Murray played an excellent ball through to the Dane, who left

Brian Irvine bemused before putting the ball in front of the Australian.

By the time Rangers moved ahead Smith was in the bath, perhaps

contemplating slipping under the water never to surface again. He had

been booked early in the first half for a foul on Laudrup and a

crude-looking challenge on Gordon Durie, who spent most of the match

minding his own business, had Les Mottram reaching for his red card.

Mottram, in fact, booked six other players, Aberdeen's Stewart

McKimmie and Booth and Boli, Murray, Durie, and David Robertson, yet the

match was played without obvious malice. The referee over-reacted on a

couple of occasions and Rangers certainly felt Mottram was wrong in

awarding Aberdeen a penalty nine minutes from time after Moore appeared

to nudge Irvine just as he was about to rise for a header inside Goram's

area.

Billy Dodds took the penalty and scored, but just as Aberdeen were

beginning to feel certain they had salvaged a point, Colin Woodthrope's

passback was picked up by Watt. From the indirect free kick only yards

from goal, panic ensued and Rangers twice tried to blast the ball over

the line, but failed. Besides, Mottram had blown for full-time which,

for some reason caused Durie to blow his top. He exchanged words with

the referee, who will report him to the SFA's disciplinary committee.

Thus the match ended in teeth-clenched controversy. Aberdeen had taken

another draw at home, but this time with more aplomb, and Rangers had

come back strongly from a poor start to show further signs that they are

still pulling the various parts of their game together.