Dundee United’s class of 1983 partied until 7am when the final whistle blew at Dens Park to signal the team’s finest hour.
But there was just one snag.
United’s league winners were due to play Forfar Athletic at Station Park at 3pm in a joint benefit match for skipper Billy Bennett and stalwart John Clark.
United had just been crowned league winners for the first time in their history.
Jim McLean’s men made the short walk from Dens to Tannadice immediately after the 2-1 win against Dundee where they celebrated with champagne in the boardroom.
Of course, the party didn’t end there.
The players were keen to let their hair down and went on to a Player of the Year dance in Coupar Angus before singing and dancing in several hostelries.
The title success was crowned in glorious fashion.
Frank Kopel’s three-bedroom bungalow in Monifieth played host to an incredible party which was attended by 78 people and you couldn’t get past the hall!
Paul Sturrock was supposed to have the party but pulled out of hosting it.
Frank spent 10 years at Tannadice and made 407 appearances before he left the club in 1982 to join Arbroath and the impromptu party went on until the wee small hours.
The guest list was impressive.
Davie Dodds turned up wearing a traffic cone on his head while goalkeeper Hamish McAlpine was dressed up as the ‘See You Jimmy’ character from the Russ Abbot Show.
Pies and Forfar bridies on the menu for Dundee United stars
So how did the team get on in Forfar?
In his 1989 memoir, Sturrock remarked: “I have to confess that for obvious reasons my recollections of the festivities are somewhat hazy.
“All I can remember was sauntering back home at 7am the following day!
“Although the season had finished we did have one more match to play – a testimonial at Forfar the day after we clinched the league title.
“There was a bonus for me, though – I was injured and didn’t have to play!
“Everyone who reported for that game was very much the worse for wear, with the exception of the Boss and Paul Hegarty, who don’t drink at all.
“My duties consisted of running to a pie stall at Station Park to buy as many pies and bridies as I could carry for the rest of the lads who were starving after all the celebrating,
“It was quite a picture to see so many so-called professionals hiding in toilets munching pies and bridies immediately prior to a match.
“Little wonder we lost 2-1 — yet remarkably two of the worst casualties from the previous night had been our best performers!”
Team was gifted travelling rugs
The appearance by Dundee United to honour a previous commitment just 24 hours after winning the league at Dens was warmly welcomed by Forfar officials, players and fans.
At the start of the game — watched by 1,200 fans — the home team lined up to applaud United’s players, who were also presented with travelling rugs.
Forfar defeated United 2-1 with goals from Rob Cormack and John Clark, although understandably Jim McLean fielded seven substitutes after the interval.
Only John Holt, Richard Gough, Alex Taylor and Ralph Milne lasted 90 minutes!
Did the pies and bridies start to wear off?
Holt — the man who flew the flag for the handlebar moustache long before Tom Selleck in Magnum PI — got one back for United in the closing stages and only a goal-line clearance from Alex Brash, preceded by some fine keeping by Forfar’s Stewart Kennedy, prevented United from equalising.
At the end of the game, led by Forfar chairman Sam Smith, the home crowd cheered United off the park, probably the first time this has ever happened to an opposing team at Forfar.
United won another 1,200 fans — and they were all from Forfar.
Open-top bus trip in a monsoon
The players returned to Tannadice afterwards where they were expected to celebrate their dramatic title-win with an open-top bus parade to the City Square.
Monsoon rain and even thunder and lightning failed to stop the party.
The players posed briefly to hold the trophy aloft and acknowledge the cheers outside Tannadice where hundreds of supporters were undeterred by the pouring rain.
That provided just a glimpse of what was to come.
McLean’s men threw on plastic ponchos, rain jackets, tammies and scarves before jumping on the bus which headed off for the city city pursued by a horde of youngsters.
It was like the famous running scene from Rocky II!
Along the route to the City Square, via Dens Road, Arthurstone Terrace and Princes Street, jubilant tangerine-clad supporters cheered and chanted and the players waved back from the top deck while singing and dancing.
When, despite the continuous downpour, the open-top bus arrived — and the fans realised their team was going to defy the downpour — there was a special cheer.
From the hoarseness in their voices it was obvious more than one had spent the night in song, yet they were still able to muster a cheer when their heroes emerged.
There were 5,000 United supporters in scenes rarely witnessed in Dundee.
“Fantastic,” said captain Paul Hegarty, who admitted he thought the rain would have kept many indoors.
“The response from our supporters has been magnificent.
“The players will not forget the way they braved the conditions,” he added.
Packed like sardines in city centre
The Courier reported: “They were chanting, dancing and singing in the rain long before the bus arrived at 6.15pm.
“It was like the Mardi Gras had travelled down the coast from Aberdeen to Dundee in what has been an unprecedented week for east-coast football — the first European Cup Winners’ Cup, then the Premier title.
“The tangerine and black-clad masses, waving flags, banners and club-coloured umbrellas, packed themselves like sardines behind the crash barriers in the City Square.
“Hundreds lined the steps of the Caird Hall and hundreds more, unable to get into the Square, were marshalled behind the permanent barriers at Boots and Samuels on the corner of Reform Street.
“The cheering reached a crescendo when the open-top bus came in sight and there, held high, was the league championship trophy which had been brought through from Glasgow during the day.”
The players, soaked like the fans, seemed similarly oblivious to the downpour as they responded to every cheer.
Head and shoulders above the rest was Davie Dodds, still wearing the enormous top hat he had been presented with shortly after the final whistle at Dens Park the previous day.
Where was the traffic cone?
One by one the players stepped off the bus at City Square to receive handshakes from the Lord Provost James Gowans and the Dundee United chairman and directors.
Mr Gowans said: “Despite the fact I used to be a Dundee supporter as a boy, I am delighted that United have brought the championship to Dundee.
“I am sure the Dundee fans don’t grudge United this win – it’s tremendous for the city.”
First to disembark from the bus was manager Jim McLean, who led his team into the dry sanctuary of the City Chambers for a hastily arranged civic reception.
The players and officials managed to navigate the steps to take a bow from the tiny balcony of the City Chambers and receive joyous acclamation from their supporters.
Each United player was cheered as they took it in turn to hold the trophy and the victory parade was the perfect end to an unforgettable 24 hours for the Tangerines.
Well, forgettable in some cases…
But then again, who could blame them?
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