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| After
the long, tiring season just past, Jim McLean brought in a couple of new
players during the close season. Hamish French, a young striker from Highland
League side Keith, came to Tannadice in June, as did Alan Irvine, a Scottish
winger from Crystal Palace. Both were involved in United's pre-season tour
of Norway and a 3-0 friendly win over Real Sociedad at Tannadice.
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Both
players made their debuts in the first week of August,
playing in a 1-1 draw with Rangers at Ibrox, where Dave Beaumont had given
United the lead before an Ally McCoist penalty. French was outstanding,
but just days later, he received an injury in training and missed the next
couple of months. This was typical for both French and Irvine, as both players
would spend most of their United careers out through injury. The next game
at Tannadice was a midweek 1-1 draw with Motherwell where Ian Redford scored
a penalty, and Redford scored from the spot again in a 3-1 win over newly
promoted Morton at Tannadice. Midfielder Ian McPhee was brought in from
Forfar Athletic, and he made a scoring debut in another midweek match at
Tannadice as United beat Partick Thistle 4-1 in the 2nd round of the League
Cup. |
| A
heavy 4-1 defeat at Tynecastle was followed by a short trip down the road
to Starks Park in the 3rd round of the League Cup, where United legend Hamish
McAlpine was in goal for Raith Rovers. United won 2-1 with a stunning winner
from Maurice Malpas, and a couple of days later Jim McLean signed another
Alan Irvine from Liverpool for £100,000. The lanky striker was the
son of United legend from the early 60's Jim Irvine, and he made his debut
in a game of two penalties where Ian Redford and Jim Bett both scored from
the spot in a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie. |
| September
started with the League Cup quarter final against Dundee at Dens, and United
looked to be going through with an Iain Ferguson goal with seconds remaining.
But Tommy Coyne scored a late equaliser and Keith Wright scored the winner
in extra-time. A 0-0 draw with Celtic at Tannadice was followed by a 2-1
defeat at home to Hibs. Two United stalwarts left the club this month, with
John Holt and Billy Kirkwood both leaving for Dunfermline. In the 1st round
of the UEFA Cup United were drawn against Coleraine from Northern Ireland,
and a Paul Sturrock goal gave United a 1-0 lead in the 1st leg away from
home. |
| Next
was a 2-0 defeat to St Mirren at Love Street, and then Paul Sturrock scored
the easiest goal of his life in a 3-0 win over Falkirk at Tannadice. After
being flagged for offside, Sturrock was sitting in the box sorting his socks
when a Falkirk defender tried to pass the free-kick back to his keeper.
Sturrock jumped up and stuck the ball in the net before the keeper had even
noticed! The month finished with a 3-1 win over Coleraine in the 2nd leg
of the UEFA Cup tie at Tannadice, and a young Michael O'Neill turned out
for the Northern Ireland team. Jim McLean would try to sign O'Neill before
the end of the season, but the young striker would choose Newcastle United
instead. |
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| Iain
Ferguson scored in a 1-1 draw with Dundee at Dens in October,
and United met Dunfermline for the first time in the League since 1975,
in a 0-0 draw at East End Park. After just over a year at Spurs, Richard
Gough returned to Scotland as Graeme Souness signed him for Rangers, and
he ironically made his debut at Tannadice, but Rangers lost 1-0 to an Iain
Ferguson header. |
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A
0-0 draw with Aberdeen at Tannadice was followed by a shock home defeat
to Vitkovice of Czechoslovakia in the 2nd round of the UEFA Cup, as Billy
Thomson misjudged a shot to put the Czechs 2-1 up after the 1st leg. Iain
Ferguson and John Clark scored two late goals as United beat Celtic 2-1
at Parkhead, and Billy McKinlay scored his first goal for the club in a
1-0 win over Hibs at Easter Road. Jim McLean then brought in a 20 year old
unknown striker from Finland, and Mixu Paatelainen played his first match
on Scottish soil the following day. Mixu had scored to put United 2-1 up
at half-time, but with St Mirren midfielder Kenny McDowall playing in goals
after Campbell Money had been carried off injured, United still managed
to lose the match 3-2 with Ian Ferguson again returning to haunt us. |
| November
started with the 2nd leg of United's UEFA Cup tie with Vitkovice in Czechoslovakia,
where a 1-1 draw wasn't enough for United as they went out 2-1 on aggregate,
the first time United hadn't made at least the 3rd round in over seven years.
A 2-1 defeat to Motherwell at Fir Park was followed by a 1-0 home victory
over Dunfermline as Mixu Paatelainen scored the winner, but United's up
and down season continued as they were beaten 3-0 at Tannadice by Hearts
in midweek. Iain Ferguson scored the only goal of the game against Morton
at Cappielow, but that was followed by a shock result at Brockville as United
went down 4-1 to Falkirk as Crawford Baptie scored a hat-trick. United were
again beaten by goals from Tommy Coyne and Keith Wright as Dundee won 3-1
at Tannadice, as United fell to an unrecognisable position in the Premier
League. |
| December
saw another game of two penalties, this time at Ibrox as Rangers won 1-0.
Ally McCoist put Rangers in front from the spot, and within a minute United
were awarded a penalty, but Iain Ferguson shot wide of the post. Gordon
McLeod scored in a 3-1 win over Motherwell at Tannadice, but again United
couldn't build on this win as they lost 2-1 to Hibs at Tannadice. United
won 1-0 at Love Street, although nobody could tell if the winner was scored
by Hamish French or an own goal by Peter Godfrey. The match on Boxing Day
at Tannadice saw Celtic win 2-1 with a late, late goal by Joe Miller. |
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In
January, a 0-0 draw with Aberdeen
at Pittodrie at New Year was followed by another 0-0 draw with Falkirk
at Tannadice, where Iain Ferguson again missed a penalty. After nearly
two months out through injury, Eamonn Bannon returned to lob Bobby Geddes
in the third League derby of the season as United won 2-0 at Dens, and
he scored again in the 3rd round of the Scottish Cup as United knocked
7 goals past Arbroath at Gayfield.
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| February
started with Ian Redford scoring a penalty at Tynecastle in a 1-1 draw with
Hearts, and he then scored two (including another penalty) in a 2-0 win
over Morton at Tannadice. After only 6 months at Tannadice, striker Alan
Irvine was sold on to Shrewsbury Town after failing to make an impact, earning
the nickname "The Log" in the process! |
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Kevin Gallacher scored a hat-trick against Dunfermline at East End Park
as United finally put a good run together, and Paul Hegarty and Eamonn Bannon
scored in a 2-0 win away to Airdrie in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup.
Mixu Paatelainen then scored in a 1-1 draw with Rangers at Tannadice before
Mark Walters scored the equaliser. After being used only as cover for Kevin
Gallacher for the past two seasons, winger Paul Kinnaird was sold to Motherwell
after making only 24 appearances for the club. |
| A
0-0 draw with Hibs at Easter Road in March
was followed by the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, where United had
been drawn against Dundee at Dens Park. The game finished 0-0 with Maurice
Malpas being sent-off, and Eamonn Bannon scored two crackers in the replay
3 days later. |
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Dundee keeper Tom Carson pulled off save after save as Graham Harvey scored
twice to level the match and take the tie to a 2nd replay. A 2-0 defeat
to Aberdeen at Tannadice was followed by a 0-0 draw with Celtic at Parkhead,
and in the 2nd replay against Dundee in the Scottish Cup, United ran out
3-0 winners with goals from Ian Redford, Iain Ferguson and Joe McLeod, as
Stuart Rafferty was sent off for Dundee. United finally got some sort of
revenge on St Mirren after the previous season's Scottish Cup final, beating
them 5-1 at Tannadice in midweek. Dave Bowman scored his first goal for
the club and Alan Irvine scored two for the second time this season. |
| April
started with the eighth and final Dundee derby of the season at Tannadice,
where Hamish French scored the only goal of the game as Bobby Geddes juggled
the ball over the line. Next up was the semi-final of the Scottish Cup as
United took on Aberdeen at Dens Park. The match went to a replay after a
0-0 draw, and the second match at Dens erupted. After a challenge on Charlie
Miller, where Hegarty was left with a bloody nose, Willie Miller ran the
length of the park to demand that Hegarty be sent off. Nicholas then gave
Aberdeen the lead, and as the players left for the dressing room at half-time,
a furious Jim McLean approached Miller, Nicholas and the referee. McLean
was later banned from the dug-out and given a huge fine. Mixu Paatelainen
later equalised for 10 man United and another 2nd replay was called for. |
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| United
fielded a team of reserve players in the next match in preparation of the
semi-final decider, but the team went down 4-2 to Motherwell at Fir Park.
In the 2nd replay at Dens, an Iain Ferguson header finally put United though
to the Scottish Cup Final to face Celtic at Hampden. United let a 2 goal
lead slip to draw 2-2 with Dunfermline at Tannadice before Mixu Paatelainen
scored all 4 goals in a 4-0 win at Morton where Alex Cleland made his United
debut. |
In
May, United won 2-1 at Brockville
against Falkirk before the final League game of the season saw United
draw 0-0 with Hearts at Tannadice as United finished 5th - their lowest
finishing position since 1980/81.
In
the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden, Jim McLean threw 19 year-old midfielder
Billy McKinlay into the team after just 16 matches for United. McKinlay
had a fantastic game as United looked to have won the Cup after taking
the lead through Kevin Gallacher, but two goals from Frank McAvennie
won Celtic the double in their Centenary year.
The
end of the season saw Eamonn Bannon leave Tannadice after 9 years at
the club, and he returned to his first club Hearts along with United's
top scorer for the past two seasons, Iain Ferguson, in a joint deal.
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to 1987/88 Season front page
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