League Re-organisation (1975-2000)

League Re-Organisation (1975-2000)

Premier Division Era

Since its inception in 1890 the Scottish league had gone through several significant changes, but none as radical as the reconstruction of 1975. Despite the number of teams being reduced from 18 to 10, Dundee fans probably weren’t overly concerned about their top flight status given the strong league placings the Dark Blues had turned out that decade so far. 

The Premier Division era started out positively as Dundee recorded a 3-2 win over Aberdeen with Bobby Ford earning the honour of being the Premier Division’s first ever goal scorer. Despite several commendable results against the Old Firm, United and others the Dark Blues would eventually pay for a poor goal difference, being relegated despite finishing on the same points as North-East rivals Aberdeen and United. It was only the club’s second relegation in 83 years of league football, but sadly it was to become an all too familiar scenario over the next few decades. 

Dundee’s return to the topflight wasn’t immediate. In 1976-77, despite the scoring exploits of Billy Pirie who contributed about 42% of the 90 league goals the club scored that season, Dundee finished third behind St Mirren and Clydebank. While struggling in the unfamiliar alien confines of the First Division, Dundee took solace in the familiarity of the Scottish Cup – once again reaching the semi-finals, once again losing to Celtic. 

In 1977-78 Dundee were again one of Britain’s highest scoring teams and it was, again, only good enough for a third place finish. This time Morton and Hearts were the teams who denied the Dark Blues. There was a particularly cruel ending to this campaign when, despite recording an impressive 3-2 win in Greenock against the champions, Dundee were denied promotion thanks to Hearts’ result at Gayfield. Swathes of the large travelling support believed that the match at Gayfield had actually gone in Dundee’s favour. The boisterous celebrations in the stands were not lost on the players who thought they had done enough – only to be informed that Hearts had done enough to secure the second promotion spot. Tommy Gemmell lamented:

“I’m heartily sick, naturally, but I’m sure we can succeed next time.”

Gemmell was correct as Dundee made no mistakes the following season finishing as champions in 78-79, losing only twice at Dens- once to Celtic in the League Cup and Arbroath in the league. The previous two stints in the top flight spanned decades but this one lasted just the season, with Dundee doing enough to finish above Hibs, but not enough to stay clear of the drop zone. A parting ‘gift’ from the Dark Blues was a 5-1 hiding of Celtic – a result which essentially decided the eventual destination of the title – something Dens Park would do again, to greater effect, later in the decade.

Both Dundee and Hibernian bounced straight back up to the delight of their fans, but the Dark Blues gave their supporters additional thrills with a run to the final of the League Cup. It was, of course, a particularly historic occasion for the city with Dundee United being the Dark Blues’ opponents in the cold December final. The match, fittingly, was held at Dens and refereed by local ref Bob Valentine. The Tangerines ran out winners, emulating Dundee’s back-to-back League Cup victories thirty years earlier.  

Dundee finally, slowly, acclimatised and found a permanent seat at the top table and their presence there was nothing short of dramatic. Their cross-street rivals secured a last day league title at Dens in 1983 while, in 1986, Dundee famously denied Hearts the same accommodation when Albert Kidd grabbed a brace in Dundee’s ultimately unsuccessful attempt to secure another, long-awaited, European sojourn. While Dundee supporters didn’t have European football to look forward to, they were soon to be treated to the wonderful on field exploits of the Cobra & the Mongoose. Tommy Coyne and Keith Wright delighted the Dens Park crowds with their plentiful supply of goals. A testament to their prowess is the fact that Graham Harvey, effectively third choice striker, chipped in with 17 goals in 1986-87, but still couldn’t usurp either one of the duo on a regular basis. It was no wonder, with Coyne finishing third in the European Golden Boot award in 1988. The mid 80’s, Archie Knox inspired, side was another in a long line of Dundee line ups that agonisingly underachieved. 

Cup Nights under the Floodlights

One by one the players departed some were replaced by new heroes, yet it wasn’t enough to stop the slide back into the First Division. With relegation in 1990 a trend was set. Sadly, the 1990’s record in the league is one of battling for survival or for promotion. This included an unprecedented four-year absence from the top flight –an unenviable peace time club record. 

Interspersed among the league travails there were still moments to remember for the Dens Park faithful in the cup competitions. While the post war era has brought little joy to the Dens Park faithful when it comes to Scottish Cup derbies, the League Cup is different. In the 87-88 season Dundee coasted through the early rounds to a Dens quarter final against United. It was a mere few months since the Tannadice men had knocked Dundee out of the Scottish Cup semi at Tynecastle. It was a result that hurt, particularly as the Dark Blues had been the better side that afternoon. The two teams were being drawn together in the cups with remarkable frequency and almost 20,000 packed the old ground to see the latest instalment. 

A sense of dread must have descended over the home fans when, former Dark Blue, Iain Ferguson opened the scoring for United in seven minutes. There then seemed to be an inevitability about the result when wave upon wave of United attack ensued with another former Dens Park favourite, Ian Redford, almost doubling the United lead. Dundee withstood the onslaught spurring the fans to reach incredible noise levels. The fans never wavered in their vociferous support, and this reaped dividends when Tommy Coyne equalised with a few minutes left – fittingly, Dundee’s scorer was also an ex-player of the opposition. The celebrations when Wright scored the winner eight minutes into extra-time raised the proverbial roof and went some way to ease the pain of the previous season’s cup exit in Gorgie. 

Dundee’s next final, fifteen years since the all-Dundee final, was also in the league cup and, just like in 1980, they reached it as a second-tier team. The run to the final was infinitely more epic than the final itself – with postal strikes limiting the crowd and the Dark Blues frozen with stage fright. 

Having breezed past East Stirlingshire 6-0, Dundee then impressively beat Premier Division Killie 3-1 at home to set up a tasty Dens quarter final with Hearts. Almost ten thousand turned up, creating a terrific atmosphere which the home side responded to immediately, attacking the visitors’ goal, with Morten Weighorst pulling the strings. Dundee surge to a 2-0 lead before Hearts, after a stern half-time talk, pulled level in the second half. Dundee once again take the lead, but Hearts peg their hosts back again in the dying seconds of the match. Weighorst puts Dundee in front once more with a sublime chip, but once more, Hearts equalise. The drama of penalties is unavoidable. When Henry Smith saves with the penalties locked at 2-2 it doesn’t look good for the home fans, but Smith’s hero status doesn’t last long as, incredibly, the Hearts ‘keeper is the next penalty taker and he blasts his penalty wide. Hearts would miss their next penalty as well which, fittingly, left it to Weighorst to fire in the deciding penalty with ease -showing the composure that comes with holding a place in a national team recently crowned European Champions. The win set up another memorable cup game against Airdrie at McDiarmid in which another unforgettable chipped goal was scored -this time by Neil McCann.

The remainder of the 1990s provided for more great moments with Dundee United knocked out, again on penalties, in a thrilling cup derby – a result which underlined Dundee’s derby dominance in the knock-out stage of the competition. A late winner against Aberdeen in the next round completed the ‘New Firm’ double. While Dundee exacted a measure of revenge against our previous season’s cup conquerors, Hearts did likewise to the Dark Blues in the semi-final. 

In 1997-98 a resurgent Dundee under the stewardship of the Marrs stormed to the First Division title, being almost unbeatable on their travels – travels that took them to Ibrox in the Scottish Cup quarter final. The resultant replay at Dens was one of the last great hurrahs of the terracing behind either goal – soon the arena would be sporting the brand new Cox and Shankly stands as the club embarked on the SPL era.