The last time Dundee United and thousands of their fans made a May trip along the A90 to McDiarmid Park with their top-flight status in serious jeopardy, Jim Weir endured an afternoon he would rather forget.
The former St Johnstone captain was spat on, got his retaliation in first during a pitch invasion, put in a headlock by a police officer and then left Alan Main and Paul Hartley in no doubt about his opinion of their day’s work.
Oh, and the United comeback in the late spring sun had the domino effect of Weir being one of four players red-carded in a notorious friendly against St Mirren, during which he gave a piece of his mind to a grown man dressed as a panda.
For Saints-United storylines that will endure, May 2012, 2001 is a hard act to follow.
It was the second last game of the season, with Alex Smith’s team needing to beat Sandy Clark’s to secure their SPL status at the expense of St Mirren.
That the Tangerines came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the dying minutes is the stuff of Tannadice legend.
But the Perth (and Paisley) perspective was a bit different.
“We were two up at half-time and comfortable in the game,” Weir recalled. “David McClune’s goal (his one and only for Saints) was a cracker. Right in the top corner.
“But Paul Hartley’s sending off at the start of the second half changed the game. There was a lot said about Alan Main’s performance after it but we all defend together.
“At 2-1 one of their strikers gave me a wee nudge as the ball was going out of play that took me into the stand behind the goal where the United fans were and one of them spat right in my face.
“The only other time that happened to me was down at Ayr United one night, going through the old cage.
“That was me not in a good mood at that point and it didn’t get any better.
“When they scored the equaliser their fans started spilling on the pitch and then at 3-2 they were everywhere.
“I was trying to get a couple of them off and I could see a guy running towards me.
“I thought he was going to throw a punch so I made sure I protected myself.
“There was a local police officer I knew who put me in a headlock and told me to calm down or I’d get myself arrested.
“I was a bear with a sore head by the time we got into the dressing room, arguing with everybody.
“Alan Main gave his gloves to a Dundee United fan behind the goal. I certainly wasn’t happy about that. If you’re going to do that, give them to your own fans.”
Four reds and two angry mascots
Saints great Main was – maybe still is two decades and a bit later – Paisley public enemy number one.
And there has never been a pre-season game quite like the ‘friendly’ that took place at Love Street a couple of months later.
The description ‘bad blood’ probably doesn’t do it justice.
“Sandy (Clark) did a stupid thing, arranging a bloody friendly for us with St Mirren in Paisley,” said Weir.
“There were four red cards and I was the first of them! Stuart McCluskey came in after me.
“That game was wild from the start.
“There was one mascot carrying a board saying ‘spot the Arab’ and a pic of Alan Main and another mascot saying ‘who sold the jerseys?’
“It was a really bad atmosphere.
“When we were going off after the warm-up they were trying to wind us up.
“I had a word with the bigger one.
“Then during the match Paul Ritchie had elbowed me off the ball and I saw the red mist and volleyed him.
“I missed the opening league game of the season against Celtic and was fined a week’s wages!”
Tartan kits and a great St Johnstone team on the rise
It’s not all bad memories for Weir when it comes to Saints v United fixtures at McDiarmid.
Wearing tartan kits, they beat their local rivals in front of a capacity crowd during a 1996 promotion battle in the old First Division.
“The only goal of the game went in off Steven Pressley but Kev (McGowne) certainly took the credit,” said Weir.
“I remember the ground being full. There were United fans who couldn’t get in up on the hill.
“It wasn’t a great game, that’s for sure.
“We won 1-0 but it wasn’t as if we were holding on at the end though.
“What sticks in my mind is myself and Kev getting haircuts the day before and Gordon Bannerman in the Perthshire Advertiser writing that we looked like a couple of nightclub bouncers.
“The team were on a roll and still had a chance of getting promoted.
“We lost the following week at Morton but that season was the start of things under Luggy and we got promotion the year after.
“After that we probably had better wins at Tannadice – Leigh (Jenkinson) scoring in one springs to mind.
“And in one of my comeback games Danny (Griffin) scored a free-kick to win us the game there.”
High stakes
Unlike 22 years ago, the stakes are equally high for both sides this weekend.
The threat of relegation is real across the Tayside divide, albeit Weir’s old club have a two-point advantage going into the first of the post-split fixtures.
“Saints don’t want a repeat of what happened that day,” he said.
“Only giving United fans the North Stand and a bit of the Main Stand was a good start.
“Paul Hartley lost his discipline, which changed that game. The Saints players will need to make sure they keep theirs.
“That’s the first thing.
“They’ve beaten Dundee United twice already this season, which is important as well.
“That 2001 game had more on the line for United than us but this is huge.
“Win it and Saints are really close to being safe. They’re fighting hard for Steven MacLean so hopefully they can get the job done.”
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