No Dundee United fan will ever forget the night they did themselves, their club, city and country proud.
It also turns out that, all those miles away in Sweden, no IFK Gothenburg player can forget it either.
The date was Wednesday, May 20, 1987.
The auspicious occasion was the UEFA Cup final second leg, the first and only time a Scottish team had hosted a European final on their own park.
With 20,911 people packed into Tannadice, the Tangerines had high hopes of overturning the 1-0 first leg win that Stefan Pettersson’s header had secured for the Swedes in the Ullevi Stadium a fortnight earlier.
Those hopes took a hit on 22 minutes, though, when Lennart Nilsson’s superb shot beat United goalkeeper Billy Thomson at his near post to put the visitors two ahead on aggregate.
United did their best to battle back and an Iain Ferguson header clipped the top of the Gothenburg bar.
Jim McLean’s men got a goal back through John Clark’s brilliant strike on the hour mark but, fatigued from playing and losing the Scottish Cup final to St Mirren just four days earlier, they were out on their feet.
Kevin Gallacher, the goal hero in the home win over the mighty Barcelona in the quarter-final, chipped over the bar from just a few yards’ out as the Tangerines threw everything at their opponents.
At the final whistle, the defeated United players sank to their knees through a mixture of despair and exhaustion.
They picked themselves up off the floor to collect their runners-up medals then looked on as IFK captain Glenn Hysen lifted the impressive trophy and his teammates celebrated.
Something remarkable then happened.
To a man, woman and child, the United supporters started to applaud, first their own players in recognition of a wonderful European campaign that included the famous victories over Barca and remarkable semi-final performance to beat Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany.
What made the response extra special, though, was that the applause and cheers continued as the Swedish players went on a lap of honour around the Tannadice pitch.
In the face of a devastating loss, United’s fans graced football.
They were to be rewarded subsequently with the inaugural FIFA Fair Play Award for their “sporting behaviour” and a welcome cheque of £20,000 for the club.
It is heart-warming to know that this wonderful treatment of an opposition side has not been forgotten by the Gothenburg players themselves.
Indeed, all those 30 years on, The Courier can reveal that the memories of Tannadice are still fresh.
Nilsson, the man who opened the scoring for IFK that night, recalled: “It was a special atmosphere, especially among those who stayed and cheered for both us and Dundee United.
“I certainly remember with fondness the way the Scottish fans were with our team.”
Pettersson, the scorer in the first leg at the Ullevi, added: ”I remember the final whistle and the fans in Scotland.
“It was incredible because they seemed to be equally happy even though we won.”
The man who broke United’s hearts with many a fine save, goalkeeper Thomas Wernersson, said: “I remember the setting.
“The stadium was quite small and had a leaning pitch but the crowd was fantastic and the atmosphere great.
“They stayed and cheered for us without any hatred.”
His teammate Stig Fredriksson said: “I remember the victory and the crowd at Tannadice.
“They (the United supporters) stayed and celebrated with us.
“Also, the party afterwards was amazing.”
Asked what stayed in his mind from the final, Michael Andersson said: “The amazing atmosphere between the players and the spectators – that´s what I remember.”
Finally, Lars Zetterlund, who would go on to sign for United in 1996, declared: “The crowd was unbelievable. Everyone stayed behind and applauded.
“You just don’t get that any more.”
Memories are also kept alive by a huge flag bearing United’s name and badge alongside their own that gets unfurled on a regular basis by the IFK fans at home matches.
What happened in those magical moments as the warm wave of applause rippled around Tannadice three decades ago has, it appears, left a lasting legacy.
The teams lined up for the Tannadice final:
United: W. Thomson, Holt (Hegarty 46), Narey, Malpas, McInally, Kirkwood, Clark, Redford (Bannon 72), Sturrock, Gallacher, Ferguson. Subs not used: S. Thomson, Beaumont, Bowman.
Gothenburg: Wernersson, Carlsson, Hysen, Larsson, Fredriksson, R. Nilsson (Johansson 78), Tord Holmgren, Andersson, Tommy Holmgren (Mordt 72), Petterssen, L. Nilsson. Subs not used: Tobiasson, Rantanen.
Referee: Ioan Igna (Romania).
