The sun was shining, the beach balls and shades were out and a great big smile was on the face of football in Dundee.
The derby was back and the city provided Scottish football with a welcome tonic as a fabulous 10,121 crowd packed into Dens Park on Saturday.
The fans proved that interest in our bruised and battered national sport is still intense in this neck of the woods despite a summer of discontent.
It was a great occasion even if only a pre-season match and the players gave the paying punters their money’s worth, with a game full of tough tackling and 100% commitment.
The Tangerines booked the bragging rights until the next Dundee derby, which could be as early as the third week of the new season should the Dark Blues be invited to join the ranks of the SPL.
Shining as brightly as ever on the day was United’s prolific striker Jon Daly, with the visiting fans able to do their ‘put your hands up’ celebration three times as the irrepressible Irishman grabbed all the goals.
This fixture was about more than the action on the park, though it was a display of defiance from both sets of supporters after months dominated by the Rangers newco crisis.
It was a reminder that a match against their neighbours is a greater attraction for most followers of both the Tangerines and Dark Blues than a clash against either the Light Blues or Celtic.
Managers and players alike were queuing up to sing the praises of derby day.
Tannadice midfielder Richie Ryan said: ”It was a pre-season game for us and we still have three weeks to the start of the season but there was a great atmosphere and the lads enjoyed it.
”If Dundee do come into the league it will be a great thing for the town to have the derbies it would be good for everyone.”
Dundee goalkeeper Rab Douglas added: ”The city has been starved of derbies and maybe that showed that there is life outside the Old Firm. It is rivalry at its best. We were disappointed with the result but it was still a good occasion.”
United manager Peter Houston declared: ”It was brilliant to see so many fans from both sides here. That just shows you what the derby can bring to the city of Dundee.
”The turnout tells you everything about what the match means to people. It is my first derby and there was a great atmosphere out there.”
And Dens boss Barry Smith stated: ”What we should be focusing on is the occasion and the people who turned up for the game.
”The focus shouldn’t be on all the arguments going on (in Scottish football) it should be about how much interest there is in derbies and football as a whole.”
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The United fans were in party mood even before kick-off, littering the track in front of the Bob Shankly Stand with streamers, beach balls and balloons.
The Dens men were first on the attack, with John Baird shooting wide of the post, but when United struck they did so with deadly Daly precision after two minutes.
Gary Mackay-Steven had been fouled just outside the Dundee box by Neil McGregor and when Willo Flood floated the freekick into the danger area the big Irishman stooped to head past keeper Rab Douglas and into the net.
United’s new goalie Radoslaw Cierznik then did superbly well to get in the way of a point-blank Stephen O’Donnell shot before John Rankin’s strike from a tight angle troubled Douglas at the other end.
Tannadice winger Mackay-Steven was producing some of his tricks but he should have done better when put clean through on goal, with Douglas able to save at his feet as he overran the ball.
Dundee defender Matt Lockwood then somehow managed to loop the ball up and wide of the United post before the Tangerines should have made it two.
A good bit of pace from Mackay-Steven saw him tear down the left flank before cutting the ball back to Rankin, whose shot was deflected.
The ball fell kindly for Johnny Russell close to goal but the United striker’s shot was blocked and flew away for a corner.
Nicky Riley was certainly showing his credentials for coping against SPL opposition should the Dark Blues get the nod this week and Cierznik did well to punch away one of his efforts on the half-hour mark.
After the break, Ryan Conroy chipped a free-kick over the bar and that heralded a decent spell of possession for the hosts, with United a little bit disjointed at times at the back.
Dundee’s fans were shouting for a spotkick when sub Leighton McIntosh claimed he had been pushed when going for a cross.
With the game entering its final phase, though, United stretched their legs and raced away from their hosts courtesy of another two Daly goals.
Michael Gardyne played the ball into the box after a corner had been headed clear by defender Declan Gallacher on 82 minutes. As home sub Graham Webster failed to get his head on Gardyne’s cross, Daly pounced to shoot high into the net from eight yards.
Just a minute later, Daly completed his fine hat-trick by tapping home from close range after the ball was cut back to him from the left by Rankin.
That sparked a cheeky chant of ”We want Dundee up, say we want Dundee up!” from the away fans but the scoreline flattered United a bit and there is still plenty for them to work on ahead of Wednesday’s home friendly against Everton, as Houston admitted.
”We are not the finished article by any manner of means and Dundee worked us hard, to their credit,” said the Tannadice boss. ”It wasn’t until late on that we clinched the game. We opened poorly and they had a couple of chances before we scored.
”In the second half, we didn’t pass the ball as well as we can. It was still a great exercise and a really tough match for us.
”I am happy with the effort, workrate and commitment but I am still looking for us to move the ball more quickly and be a bit sharper.”
Smith, meanwhile, had a case when he argued that the margin of United’s victory was harsh on his players.
”We are disappointed to have been beaten in a derby but I don’t think there were three goals in it,” he said. ”At 1-0 we were very much in the game but once we lost the second one we were chasing it. Then to lose a third made it look far worse than it actually was.”