Tributes have flooded in for Tangerine goalscoring machine Johnny Coyle who has died at the age of 83.
Johnny, who was inducted into the Tannadice club’s hall of fame in 2009, netted 43 times in season 1955/1956.
His impressive feat remains a club record.
Sharp-shooter Johnny netted 112 times in 132 matches for United during an eight-year stint in the City of Discovery.
The forward signed provisional forms with United in 1950 having cut his cloth with junior side St Joseph’s.
Despite his latter success, the first four years of Johnny’s spell with the club were unremarkable.
The Dundee-born player’s lack of game time was mainly caused by his own national service as well as the impressive form of fellow forward Peter McKay.
After being demobbed in 1955, Johnny began his journey to becoming an Arab legend.
Between 1955 and 1958 Johnny struck fear into the heart of opposition defenders, finishing the season as the club’s top scorer in 1956 and 1957.
His meteoric rise saw him selected for the Scottish national side as part of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
Despite his selection, Johnny never played a match at the tournament.
Hisformer teammate and friend Davie Sturrock told The Courier that the striker was as popular with the players off the pitch as he was with the fans on it.
He said: “Johnny was a comedian. He was always telling jokes. He was the main man and a good goal scorer.”
Davie continued: “The forward line at that time had five players who all came from St Joseph’s.
“I mainly played with John’s brother, Jimmy, but the three of us played alongside Jimmy Reid and Maurice Milne as part of that forward line.”
Johnny left for pastures new in 1958, joining Clyde for a fee of £8000.
He instantly became a Clyde legend when he scored the only goal of the 1958 Scottish Cup final against Hibs.
He was also on the scoresheet twice when the Shawfield side overcame Rangers in the Glasgow Cup final during the same season.
In all, Johnny netted 59 times in 85 matches for the Bully Wee.
Johnny also spent time on loan with fellow Tayside club Brechin City.
