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Albeit promotion from the second division and a few minor trophy's United were known as the club who had failed to win a major trophy in its up till then seventy year history.
On the 12th of December 1979n a cold Dundee November night United faced Aberdeen in the league cup replay at dens park after the pair had drawn 0-0 in the first game at hampden the previous saturday.From the kick off United ran at Aberdeen and opened the scoring in the fifteenth minute through Willie Pettigrew.He scored again in the 65th minute and Sturrock killed the game off eleven minutes later.
When the final whistle blew that night Dens park erupted in a sea of delight and emotion.Many fans had waited decades for this moment and unashamedly wept tears of joy.Pat reilly would have been dancing in the heavens.
The following season the club reached the league cup final again as had first division neighbors Dundee D.C. A flick of the coin saw the city's first final being contested at Dens park on the 6th of Dec 1980. In front of 24,456 Dundonians United swept aside their first division opponents to win by a repeat score line of their first major trophy only a year ago on the same ground.Club keeper Hamish Mc Alpine stepped up to receive the clubs second trophy.
Three years later on the 14th May 1983 and remarkably at dens park again, United achieved their greatest feat by winning the league championship on the last day of the season.One point separated them and Celtic who were to play rangers at Ibrox in their last game of the comp .United lead 2-1 at half time with goals coming from an Eamonn Bannon penalty and a delightfull strike from Ralph Milne with ferguson pulling one back for the Dees,at Ibrox Celtic lead Rangers by 2-0.In what seemed like a lifetime the second forty five minutes ended with the result unchanged from the first half.For the third time in four years Dens erupted in a sea of tangerine and black euphoria.Jim Mclean and his side had accomplished what most associated with the club had deemed the impossible.
Six attempts and six failures in Scottish cup finals at hampden park made most folk sceptical about Dundee United beating a Rangers side chasing back to back to doubles in the Scottish cup final of 94.
Coach Ivan Golac however had other ideas,he was being held to a promise that he would win a trophy in his first season with the club.In a cracking contest at hampden park Craig Brewster wrote the club into historys pages again by scoring the only goal of the game early in the second half courtesy of opportunist work from Christian Dailly after a blunder by Rangers keeper Ally Maxwell.Again scenes of jubilation from the tangerine and black army were being witnessed as the final blew.Golac had fufilled his promise and brought the scottish cup to tannadice for the first time.Thousands of fans welcomed the team home who showed off the trophy from an open air double decker bus.Today that cup winning side is still immortalised,especially Ivan Golac and Craig Brewster,
