Tannadice chairman Stephen Thompson has admitted that the doomsday derby was his “worst night” in decades of watching Dundee United play.
Thompson took his seat in the stand at Dens Park on May 2, only to watch on with horror as Dundee won 2-1 thanks to a Craig Wighton late strike to send United down to the Championship.
He admitted that the stark reality of that grim occasion left him reeling.
Thompson recalled: “I think a lot of people were hurt and shocked to see us get relegated, none more so than me.
“Sitting at Dens for that game, it was the worst night of my life in football.
“Never mind getting relegated, we got relegated by our rivals and there’s nothing worse.
“When we won the league there (in 1983), it was the best day in football for me.
“That last derby was the worst.
“Now we have to deal with the consequences.
“The fact we are no longer in the Premiership has had a huge impact on the club.
“We are still a ‘Premiership’ club in terms of size and our infrastructure is built for the top division but we are in the Championship.
“That’s the reality.
“That fact, of course, creates a number of major challenges for us going forward but we are all determined to get back up.
“I won’t say back to our rightful place because it annoys me when people say any club has a rightful place to be in any league.
“You have to earn your right to return and we intend to do that by putting a winning team on the park.”
