Dundee United won the Scottish Premier League title on May 14 1983 and these brilliant images capture the players and fans who were part of it.
Pictures of perms, moustaches and ill-fitting shorts document the culmination of a remarkable league season that saw national scoring and points records set.
Under Jim McLean’s marvellous mentoring in the six seasons prior to the title triumph, they only once finished outside the top four, underlining their growing stature.
As season 1982-83 dawned, McLean said: “There is no doubt that Dundee United are equipped to win the Premier League title.
“They have the quality, they have the pool of players now and they only have to lose the wee bit of inconsistency that shows now and again.”
And they did because, as the closest campaign in years came to its climax, United were in pole position, a point ahead of both Celtic and Aberdeen.
A win against Dundee at Dens Park and they would be champions.
The rest is history.
United’s 2-1 victory in front of 29,106 fans signalled universal joy as a sea of tangerine celebrated the greatest moment in the club’s history.
Do pictures of 1983 Dundee United title clincher awaken memories for you?
Over the 36 games of that league season, they lost just four games, two fewer than their main rivals. and their ability to churn out result after result proved key.
Dens, where the club’s two major trophies had been won, provided the perfect stage and McLean kept his team talk brief and instead left his players to their own thoughts.
“They know that they will achieve almost immortality if they win the league championship and if that doesn’t make them play, then nothing will,” he said.
Dens was full to the gunnels with thousands and thousands of United fans queueing up to get into the ground when the turnstiles opened an hour and a half before kick-off.
The roar which greeted the teams’ arrival on to the pitch was deafening.
What a start United made in just four minutes.
Ralph Milne had made a promise to his dad that morning: “I’ll score today.”
He took a pass from Paul Sturrock and held off Stewart McKimmie.
Then, as the Dundee defence retreated, he had the presence of mind to spot that Colin Kelly was off his line and chipped the ball over his head to give United the lead.
He was very much a man for the big occasion and he didn’t disappoint that day.
It was the dream start United were praying for — and seven minutes later David Narey was brought down in the box and referee George Smith pointed to the spot.
Though Kelly saved Eamonn Bannon’s spot-kick, the winger followed up and got to the ball ahead of Cammy Fraser to net the rebound.
United should have scored a third on 27 minutes when Davie Dodds flicked the ball off the underside of the bar but it stayed out.
Straight away, Dundee broke right up the other end and Iain Ferguson lashed the ball past Hamish McAlpine from around 18 yards out.
It was 2-1 at half-time and with Rangers leading Celtic 2-0 at Ibrox, the United fans sat back, looking forward to a relaxed second-half, confident that even a draw would take the title across the road to Tannadice.
However, no doubt having received some harsh words from Billy McNeill at half-time, Celtic scored four goals after the break and were leading 4-2 after 86 minutes.
It was now a question of United holding on and the title was theirs.
The final whistle eventually blew and Jim McLean actually smiled!
This was the derby to beat all derbies.
Maurice Malpas was the youngest member of the triumphant 1983 Dundee United team and the only part-timer.
“I don’t think the guys that played in that team will ever get tired of talking about it,” he said.
“None of us – apart from Richard Gough when he went to Rangers – can say we have hundreds of other titles under our belts.
“And for everybody, including Goughie, that was the first one – and you always remember the first.
“It was a brilliant day.
“It’s a clear career highlight, something I’ll never forget.”
In the memoir, Milne described his famous goal: “In a split second I looked up and saw Kelly off his line and thought, ‘I’ve got him here, if I can just pull it off’.
“From about 25 yards out, I chipped it with my left and watched as the ball sailed inch perfect over his stretching hand and into the net. The tangerine and black legions erupted.
“I turned and cheered towards the TV cameras then focused on my dad up in the stand and gestured to him with ‘I did it, dad’.
“It was the proudest moment of my life and, I’m sure, the proudest moment in my dad’s life.”
United’s all-Scottish champions – who went on to reach the European Cup semi-final – included eight Dundee-born players in Davie Dodds, John Holt, David Narey, Iain Phillip, John Reilly, Ralph Milne, Graeme Payne and Ian Britton.
McLean’s class of 1983 cost less than £200,000.
We are unlikely to see their likes again.
Conversation