Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Key milestones on Dark Blues secured
APRIL 28 1962, exactly 60 years ago, is a date etched in the history Dundee FC.
For that was the day the Dark Blues became heroes when they ran out 3-0 winners against St Johnstone at Muirton to clinch the Scottish League title.
Great were the celebrations. But what were the key milestones on Dundee’s road glory?
Norrie Price, author of Up Wi’ the Bonnets!, has chosen five matches from the 1961-62 campaign, including a 5-1 away win against Rangers and the penultimate game of the season against St Mirren, which set the Dens Park men up for that tense finale.
October 7 1961: Dundee 5-3
Kilmarnock
Dundee had already won four of their first five league games but this result would lay down a marker.
Willie Waddell’s Killie had finished league runners-up in the past two seasons and were neck-and-neck with Dundee and Rangers at the top of the table.
In a rollercoaster of a game, the Dark Blues recovered from an early setback to lead 2-1. But just on half-time, Brian McIlroy fired home an angled shot to level the scores.
That didn’t appear to upset Dundee and, with Gordon Smith supplying the craft and finesse, they ran riot in the second half.
Alan Gilzean made it 3-2 with a great header from an Alex Hamilton free-kick, with Andy Penman adding another two for his hat-trick before Killie grabbed a late consolation.
November 11 1961: Rangers 1-5
Dundee
The game had been in doubt due to thick fog around Ibrox and many supporters’ buses were turned away.
But an hour before kick-off the fog lifted sufficiently to allow the game to proceed, albeit before a crowd of 38,000, which was much lower than expected.
The I brox quintet of Eric Caldow, Jim Baxter, Alex Scott, Ralph Brand and Davy Wilson had played in Scotland’s 2-0 win over Wales a few days earlier, a game in which Dundee’s Alex Hamilton and Ian Ure had gained their first full Scotland caps.
But there was little weariness in evidence as Rangers ended the first-half in the ascendency.
This was to change as two goals in two minutes by Alan Gilzean soon after the restart changed things entirely and the Dark Blues went up the gears.
The movement and interchanging of the Dundee forwards was a delight to the eye and the predatory Gilzean brought his total to four before Andy Penman completed Dundee’s day with a fifth near the end.
“This Dundee side was brilliant” extolled The Courier headline in a report that described their eighth successive win, one which left them seven points clear of the Govan giants and five above second-placed Kilmarnock.
The prolific Gilzean was the name on everyone’s lips with journalist Tommy Gallacher highlighting his anticipation, positioning and lethal finishing.
Ian Ure, too, was immense. But this was no one-man show. November 18 1961: Dundee 5-4
Raith
Incredibly, this was the third time in six weeks Dundee had gone nap – and another five were shortly to follow, against Airdrie.
Trailing 1-0 at half-time, a Gilzean double gave Dundee the lead before Raith stunned the Dark Blues with three goals in five minutes to go 4-2 ahead.
On 69 minutes, Bobby Wishart brought the house down with a thunderbolt shot to reduce the deficit. But the most thrilling spell came in the final 10 minutes when Dundee threw everything into a final effort.
Twice there were desperate goal-line clearances but on 88 minutes there was huge relief when Bobby Seith cracked in an unstoppable shot from 30 yards.
Two minutes later, to an almost Hampden-like roar, Gordon Smith fired home the winner.
April 9 1962: Dundee United 1-2
Dundee
This was the spring holiday Monday and by then Dundee had overcome their slump and were right back in the hunt.
Only three games remained and many saw it as make or break in the title race.
Defeat for Dundee and a Rangers victory away to Celtic would surely spell the end for the Dark Blues, who would fall three points behind.
Dundee had served up some scintillating football in their earlier 4-1 derby win at Dens Park.
That was near the start of their great run and helped build belief.
Now, though, United had nothing to lose and there was huge pressure on Shankly’s side.
In 15 minutes Jim Irvine beat Pat Liney with a low shot to put the home side ahead.
After a slow start Dundee battled their way back and, just a minute from the interval, Gilzean took a short pass and hammered in a long-range dipper that found its way beneath the diving Ugolini.
For much of the second half the Dens defence had to cope with incessant pressure, though there were near things at either end.
The rain-soaked crowd were howling their heads off and the players seemed to be just as excited.
Then, pandemonium with four minutes left as Gilzean grabbed the winner. The big inside-man took a stabbed pass from Wishart with his back to the United goal.