Dundee United 0
Dundee 3
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

Newspaper extract from The Courier .

For at least 54 days dating from today-that's how long it is to the next local derby-Dundee supporters can enjoy a superiority that has for long been the right of their Tannadice counterparts.

Dundee's 3-0 win over United at Tannadice bodes well for a continuation of the uplift in fortunes which has coincided with the appointment of Jocky Scott as manager.

A dyed-in-the-wool Dundee man was complaining to me in midweek that too much attention was being paid to his team's consistent failure to beat the top outfits.

I suggested the criticism was more likely to inspire the players than worry them, and made the point that the perfect answer was for them to start getting results against those above them...as well, of course, as those below!

Which is precisely what happened as the Dark Blues strode to their first victory over their arch-rivals in two seasons and, in one fell swoop, wiped out memories of failing even to score in last season's four derby games.

"No complaints, the better team won. The players who most wanted to win did just that," said manager Jim McLean at the end.

After he made the point about how hard it was to get a result after a midweek European game ("Europe always costs you look at ourselves and Rangers being beaten today and Celtic getting their winner only in the last minute") he singled out how vital were some amazing saves by keeper Bobby Geddes, without trying to take anything away from Dundee.

"We were completely and utterly pathetic," he summed up-excluding Jim McInally, who had only risen from his sick bed on Saturday morning and Kevin Gallacher, a late substitute from his criticism.

"The best performance we have put on all season against anyone," enthused a delighted Jocky Scott.

"If you give United a yard and a split second on the ball they will be all over you. We didn't give them anything.

"In the first half, every time we played the ball into their box they looked to be panicking.

"They were missing the power of Hegarty in the air. We pressured them into more mistakes than we ever have before.

"It will give our players more belief in themselves against the better clubs."

Dundee planned a positive start-and got it with a Graeme Harvey goal in five minutes.

Rafferty wrong-footed Maurice Malpas and sent Rab Shannon off down the right Harvey's great header from the cross was flicked on to the bar by Billy Thomson, but spun into goal.

While Bobby Geddes's saves from a Bannon shot in 52 minutes, a John Clark piledriver in 71 minutes and a Tommy Coyne shot 13 minutes later bordered on world class, it wasn't this that led to the result it was Dundee's superiority in every department on the day.

Skipper Jim Duffy was inspirational in a solid defence. It isn't often at Tannadice that a mid-defender in the visiting side is the star but, along with Jim Smith, Duffy rendered United's strike force of lain Ferguson, playing his first derby in United colours, and Tommy Coyne, almost totally ineffective.

The midfield of Rafferty, Shannon and Angus, who battled for every ball, mostly succeeded and used it well when they had the chance.

Graeme Harvey's shielding of the ball-not to mention his two goals-plus Ross Jack's willingness and Ray Stephen's mobility kept United's defence at full stretch...and often over-stretched.

Dundee's second goal went to Shannon in 62 minutes. A tremendous Jack shot was brilliantly parried by Thomson, but when Jack recovered to cross from the right the big keeper got in a fankle and dropped the ball. Shannon thrashed it home at the second attempt:

Harvey's well-deserved second goal came when substitute Paul Hegarty slipped. Stephen bored in on Thomson, the ball broke left and Harvey cracked it home.

United had chances other than those saved brilliantly by Geddes. For instance, in the 44th minute Bannon seemed through, but George McGeachie fouled him on the edge of the box. The Dundee man was lucky indeed to survive without a caution.

Beaumont was booked for a foul on Harvey (25 minutes), Harvey for dissent (28) and Shannon for a foul on Gallacher (70).

United used substitutes Hegarty (45) and Gallacher (64) for McGinnis and McInally and Dundee Campbell (69) for McKinlay.