It’s been a great day so far, but now it feels like a bit of a rush. I really enjoyed Forfar, but now I’m on my way to one of the games I’d picked out from the start of this enterprise. I’ve always fancied a United – Aberdeen game at Tannadice, and the fact that this one was moved to an evening kick-off, allowing me to double up for the day, is even better.
It’s a quick dash from Forfar – https://doingthe42.co.uk/?p=142 – to Dundee, but I’m feeling the pressure a bit as there’s a train strike so about 4,000 Aberdeen fans will be making their way to Tannadice by road. I don’t know Dundee very well, so I’m keen to get out the car as quickly as possible and try to get to Tannadice in time for the 6pm kick-off.
In the end, it all falls perfectly into my lap. I basically stumble upon a free car park about a mile or so from Tannadice and find myself heading along to the ground with plenty of time to spare.
United are winless and bottom of the league. Their season could hardly have been any more of a catastrophe so far. 7-0 to AZ, 9-0 to Celtic, 4-1 to Hearts, 3-0 to St Mirren. Even St Johnstone recently escaped Tannadice with three points, and it’s really hard to see how Liam Fox turns around the shambles left in Jack Ross’s wake, with stories of mutiny among senior players and the action on the pitch speaking for itself.
So, it’s little surprise that the Aberdeen support has arrived in boisterous mood. Their side are trying to establish themselves in the race for third, and, while they’ve been inconsistent, have certainly shown grounds for optimism.
Even better news for them is that I’ve still never seen either Dundee team win at home. So, United are up against the personal hoodoo I hold over them as well as their grim form.
I pick up a programme and head in after a quick walk around the outside of Tannadice. I’ve treated myself to a seat in the front row of the upper tier of the George Fox stand. It’s a magnificent view, and even before kick-off the atmosphere is really building. An evening kick-off with a large, noisy, expectant away support, two sides that don’t like each other. This is perfect.
Sometimes occasions like this can fail to live up to the billing or the pre-match atmosphere. But what happens at Tannadice tonight is genuinely remarkable.
Miovski misses an open goal when he should have put Aberdeen ahead, and soon they’ve been punished. First Behich, with a rebound, then Watt, with a beauty into the top of the net, give United control of the match. The two goals are very similarly-timed to what I saw this afternoon from East Fife, and suddenly everything in the stadium has changed. Tannadice is absolutely jumping, and the mood among the Aberdeen fans has swung just as strongly. They’re quiet now, and take out their frustrations by showering the celebrating United players with drinks.
If the United fans are thrilled by what they saw in the first half, then what comes after half-time defies explanation based on the season so far.
Aberdeen come out strongly, as you’d expect. But they struggle to make much of an impact and you can’t really see where their way back into the game is going to come from. Then, with just under twenty to play, United settle it.
Sibbald goes down in the Aberdeen box, challenged by McCrorie. I can’t say I’m convinced by the award, but it’s given and McGrath steps up to make it 3-0. The locals are beside themselves, some of the Aberdeen fans start to make their exits. Those who leave now miss the greater calamity to come.
It’s a night to forget for McCrorie, as he attempts to head the ball back to his keeper from a harmless-looking cross. But there’s a breakdown in communication and he ends up nodding the ball into his own net as Roos stands forlornly looking on from the side. It’s an absolute shocker, and Tannadice is in raptures. It’s 4-0 to United, how is this happening? People around me are hugging, grabbing each other in disbelief and hilarity. One guy just stands with his head back howling with laughter.
The misery for Aberdeen ends there. It’s been a chastening evening for them, and there are miserable faces on their supporters’ buses that pass me as I wait for the police to let me head south and home. There’s no word from Jim Goodwin, who leaves his assistant to do the post-match media, much to the outrage of the Radio Scotland crew.
That’s as much as I’ve enjoyed a game this season. A good crowd, a great atmosphere, an unexpected result, some good and some calamitous goals. Absolutely delighted. Put together with Forfar v East Fife this afternoon, it’s been a great day.
And finally, United have overcome my Dundee curse. I’ve finally seen them win at home. All that remains to be seen is whether this is the real United, or if we’ll never see this again. For tonight, I don’t think they care.