League season 66-67 had kicked off with wins against Aberdeen at Dens and a 4-1 gubbing of the Arabs at Tannadump. With Celtic also winning their opening two games, 28,500 thousand flocked to Dens for an early season showdown against the champions.
Cookie had gone, but Campbell had come and, as the long queues snaked in at the Provy Road end, we were eventually housed in the new enclosure, which had originally been planned for the TC Keay end, but had been started late and stuck at the top of the Provy steps instead: Consequently, there was no roof and the heavy drizzle came straight down on our heads through the skeletal structure – the irony wasn’t lost on the fans!
Penman put the Dees ahead, then Lennox equalised as the Dees fans chanted the name of a new hero – “ King Billy Campbell!” (Some hoops fans took exception to this – can’t imagine why?) They got their revenge by singing – “ Whose the man who draps the ball – Ally Donaldson, as our custodian twice failed to hold a mishit Hughes penalty and Chalmers eventually netted.
Of course the penalty should never have been given and the green hordes were to sing the same song again, when Ally dropped a cross to give Celtic another late 2-1 victory in the 69-70 Cup semi and it seemed in the late 60’s and early 70’s were to be continually overshadowed by Cup semi and League cup defeats to Celtic at Hampden.
Trips to the national stadium were severely hazardous in these days and the hostility of the drink sodden hoops was unbelievable. On your way to the stadium it was not unusual to see the home support (well since when was Hampden a neutral venue!) in seriously advanced states of intoxication, lying in their own spew, or staggering about, mouthing obscenities. We would always arrive wearing colours, but coming out of the game it was scarves etc., into the pocket.
We had tested them in the 1968 League Cup final, eventually going down 5-3 due to some alarming defensive frailties and there were some amazing scores at Dees games in this era. 4-5 against Celtic; 4-4 Away to and 6-5 at home to Killie and, a couple of years later 6-4 at home to United (more on that one later). Of these, it was the 6-5 defeat of Killie, which stays freshest in the memory; ex Dees striker Kenny Cameron hit a hat trick and ended up on the losing side.
After the game, we were heading down the Hulltoon devouring white pudding suppers and heading for a pint and a game of bar billiards at the Windmill and, as usual, punters who hadn’t been at the game noticed our scarves and asked the score.
“ Six-fev, wha Dundee ? Eh, stop takin the piss – but it was true.
By the early seventies, I was working at T.C. Keays, going steady with a lass who lived in Isla Street and was watching every home game, most away and a good smattering of reserves – I was a fixture in the area! However, this was not an era of league success and the majority of high drama centred round cup games. The Scottish, the League cup and the Fairs.
For me, the one that topped the lot was the league cup final in December 73. We had travelled through in an unheated; half empty supporter’s train and had sat with the late Ian Mitchell (Yes, I know he was an Arab – but we used to play tennis with him). Anyway, he was due to play for Falkirk reserves at Firhill and the Dees train was the only mode of transport he could access. Rumours were that some of the roads were closed and, as we peered out of the train window into swirling banks of snow and sleet, we fully expected both our games to be called off.
To this day, I have no idea if the Jags-Bairns reserve game actually went ahead; but the Dundee – Celtic game certainly did! We were seated in the old South Stand and, even in there, we had to run the gauntlet of threats and abuse from the bigoted ones who couldn’t take our just accusations of serious foul play by the ‘tic defenders; and, of course, Gordon Wallace’s supreme winner!
Nah, nah, nah, nah – Nah, nah, nah, nah – Hey, Hey, Hey – Gordon Wallace, rang out again and again. His control, swivel and shot will stay in the memory halls forever and we actually hesitated in disbelief as the ball billowed low into the net, before bursting into roars and acrobatics. We danced an eight-some reel in the car-park dubs, before drinking Piper Export all the way home. Yes, I know it was a foul drink, but remember, this was Glasgow in 1973 and this was all we could find!
Following on from this triumph, came the magical cup run of 74, with unforgettable trips to Aberdeen, Ibrox and Easter Road. The 2-0 win at Pitodrie was hardly a classic, although the 2-0 win was extremely welcome, being so unexpected. The 3-0 win at Ibrox, however, was majestic and, could have been even more emphatic. Dundee fans can be critical, but I have never heard anything as bad as the abuse levelled at Peter McCloy that day.
Before the game which was held on a Sunday, we had been drinking in a bar/ Restaurant in Rutherglen – (remember, this was prior to Sunday pub opening) and the pretty green mini-skirted waitresses were all over us, with them being so unused to polite, good natured football fans.
To the game and outside the main stand enclosure, thousands of Dees fans were queuing to get in and were faced by an enormous Glesga polis on a bull elephant of a horse.
“ I woudnae gie a pound to a penny for Dindee’s chances”, he shouted at us - grinning from ear to ear. One of our party off the T.C.Keay bus peeled a crisp coral diver out of his wallet, slapped it down on the horse’s rump and, said – “ Cover that then blue nose!”
Give the copper his due, he saw the funny side and joined in the raucous laughter. Another tale from the legendary Dees away support.
The one league game which stands out from this period was the 6-4 cuffing of United at Dens in 71, We had gone 10 seasons without a home league victory against the Arabs and the celebrations were loud, long and lively, as Dundee raced into a 5-1 lead, with Jocky Scott famously taking the water on several occasions. O.K. the foot came off the pedal a bit but this was a day of beer, brilliant football, even better football and then more beer!
This contrasts somewhat with another derby game at Dens around this time which, in the spirit of the crazy times, we prepared for the game by dropping hallucinogenics and we watched the pitch go round corners, the floodlights take on human characteristics and the frost on the stand roof – well that was something else; incidentally the game was goalless!
But, let’s get way from these hippy flashbacks and back to the cup. Dealing with the Fairs first, although we progressed to the semi final in’68 and were unlucky to go out 2-1 on aggregate to Leeds, our performances didn’t quite set the heather on fire. I attended all the home games (i.e.- DWS., Liege, Zurich and Leeds) and also the away game at a restricted capacity Elland Road. The one I would like to have seen was the George MacLean four goal show in Belgium. Never mind, perhaps we can make the Uefa next year and I can celebrate my 50th birthday in some exotic spot in Italy or Greece!
A far better standard of football was played in the 71-72 run, with superb home victories against Adademisk, Cologne and Milan. The fairytale comeback against Colonge with three goals in the last 16 minutes was unbelievable and, yes I was one of the ecstatic thousands who ran on at the end to congratulate John god Duncan – honest, I haven’t done it since!
Milan, as usual, left a sour taste in the mouth as, with Dundee pressing for an equaliser at 2-3 down on aggregate, the ref blew for time with four minutes of normal time and a raft of injury time waiting to be played. Oh to play A.C again for some due revenge!
We failed to make any progress in Europe after this and the curtain was about to come down on 30 years of continuous top flight football – yes, the dreaded premier league was coming !
andy boyack
Only Dundee could build an enclosure at the wrong end of the ground and then fail to get the roof in before the autumn rains came pouring down.