League · Premier Division

Dundee Utd2–0Morton

Davie Dodds 63′

Eamonn Bannon (pen.) 86′

23 Apr 1980Wednesday, 23 April 1980 · 7:30pmTannadice ParkAttendance: 4,687

Lineups

Dundee Utd

Morton

Dundee Utd · Starting XI

Morton · Starting XI

1Roy Baines
2Jimmy Miller
3Jim Holmes
4Billy McLaren
5Joe McLaughlin
6Jim Rooney
7John McNeil
8Neil Orr
9Roddy Hutchison
10John Craig
11Andy Ritchie

Dundee Utd · Substitutes

12George Fleming
14Ralph Milne

Morton · Substitutes

12George Anderson
14Jim Tolmie

Dundee Utd · Substitutions

George Fleming for Frank Kopel45′

Morton · Substitutions

Jim Tolmie for Billy McLaren80′

Dundee Utd · Manager

Jim McLean

Morton · Manager

Benny Rooney

Dundee Utd · Cautions

Not recorded

Morton · Cautions

Joe McLaughlin30′

Programme

View programme

Programme Notes

Good evening and a welcome back to Tannadice for what is our second last home game of the term. And as we are coming to the time when looking back is expected of a team manager, I would like to take this opportunity of starting my summing up of season 1799/80. First and foremost, the most important factor to me has been the respect now shown by every single side we have met to Dundee United—and therein lies, in my opinion, the main reason for our troubles this term. Several reasons for the slight decline come to mind. Firstly, although our closeseason trip to Japan last year proved to be unbelievably good experience for an awful lot of people on the staff, it nevertheless tailed to give the players the time away from the game they deserved. But in the Far East the youngsters who got their chance because of the absences on international duty of both Paul Hegarty and Dave Narey, blossomed well although to be fair, it has only been in recent months that the vital importance of the pairing to the club has been emphasised yet again.

Each has played his own tremendous part in making the twosome for me the best I have ever seen at any grade of football. It has been of great personal enjoyment to me to watch Paul Hegarty fight his way back from that cartilage operation to his current form and firmly believe that players such as he, Narey, Andy Gray and Raymond Stewart all thoroughly deserve everything they get from the game. However, overall I have been disappointed with a lot that has gone on this season. The younger players have failed to prove to me that they are yet ready to command regular places in the side. Therefore I have no hesitation in admitting that I am now prepared to allow three or four players to leave the club to make way for even just a couple of new faces at Tannadice. Now, before everyone starts thinking along the lines of further big-money purchases let me say right away (hat these are out of the question. Player-swops in the light of the new players' contract situation may well now be possibilities. I make no promises that new signings will come — but I assure you that it will not be for the want of trying.

Match details

Referee: D Ramsay (Edinburgh)
Season: 1979-80
Opponent: Morton

UK number one

Source: Official Charts

Pre-match form

Previous meetings

Premier Division standings

As at 23 Apr 1980

Pos.	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	Aberdeen	32	25	42
2	Celtic	33	20	42
3	St Mirren	32	7	39
4	Dundee Utd	33	14	35
5	Morton	34	5	34
6	Rangers	32	6	33
7	Partick Th	32	-5	31
8	Kilmarnock	34	-17	31
9	Dundee	34	-22	26
10	Hibernian	32	-33	15

Other league results

Celtic 1–3 Aberdeen
Kilmarnock 1–0 Rangers
Partick Th 1–0 Hibernian