The first Dundee derby of the season takes place on Sunday when Dundee host Dundee United at Dens Park, live on Sky Sports at 12.15pm.
Paul Hartley’s side are still unbeaten since winning promotion to the Scottish Premiership while their city rivals have also made a good start and are three points above Dundee in the table.
Here are 10 things you might, or might not, know about the Dens Park club:
1. Dundee played their first game on August 12, 1883 - a 3-3 draw with Rangers at West Craigie Park. The two sides met again last summer to mark Dundee’s 120th anniversary, with that match ending 1-1.
2. The Dark Blues lifted the Scottish Cup in 1909/10 when they defeated Clyde 2-1 at Ibrox after a replay, with James Bellamy and John Hunter scoring. They have been runners-up four times, the last occasion being in 2002/03 when a side managed by Jim Duffy lost 1-0 to Rangers. They have won the League Cup three times: 1951/52, 1952/53 and 1973/74.
3. Dundee famously won 3-0 on the final day of 1961/62, against a St Johnstone side containing Sir Alex Ferguson, to become champions of Scotland. The result relegated the Perth club to the old Second Division. Gordon Smith picked up a league winner’s medal after previous similar successes with Hibernian and Hearts.
4. Barry Smith is a modern-day hero at Dundee following an impressive 11-year career after joining from Celtic as part of the deal that took Morten Wieghorst to Parkhead in 1995. Smith, who now manages Alloa, stepped in as boss at Dundee when they entered administration in November 2010 and, under his guidance, they finished in sixth place in Division One despite a 25-point handicap.
5. The Dens Park side were the first winners of the Challenge Cup back in 1990. A hat-trick from new Ross County assistant manager Billy Dodds helped see off Ayr United 3-2 to lift what was then known as the B&Q Centenary Cup at Fir Park.
6. Fabrizio Ravanelli, Zura Khizanishvili, Claudio Caniggia, Julian Speroni and Temuri Ketsbaia were just some of the big name international stars that played for Dundee in a glamorous period at the turn of the new millennium. Ravanelli is probably the most famous person to score a seven-minute hat-trick in a League Cup tie at Clyde’s Broadwood Stadium!
7. Dundee launched a Hall of Fame in 2009 and so far they have admitted 22 members. They are: Alan Gilzean, Barry Smith, Billy Steel, Bobby Cox, Doug Cowie, Jocky Scott, Alex Hamilton, Bob Shankly, Gordon Wallace, Jim Duffy, Alan Cousin, Andy Penman, Ian Ure, Pat Liney, Tommy Coyne, Bobby Seith, Bobby Wishart, Gordon Smith, Hugh Robertson, Alfie Boyd, Bobby Glennie and Bobby Wilson.
8. The club’s record unbeaten run of 23 league games was achieved under Barry Smith and lasted from October 2, 2010 to March 26, 2011. It came to an end in a 2-1 defeat at Raith Rovers on April 2.
9. After winning the league in 1962, Dundee embarked on a successful European Cup campaign that saw wins over Cologne, Sporting Lisbon and Anderlecht. AC Milan were memorably beaten 1-0 at Dens Park in the semi-final but the Italians won 5-1 in the San Siro. Alan Gilzean scored nine times in Europe that season, including a hat-trick in the 8-1 thrashing of Cologne.
10. Dundee’s last win over Dundee United was 1-0 at Dens Park in November 2004. John Sutton scored a late goal after the visitors had Chris Innes and Mark Wilson sent off.
Craig Stewart
.png){kind=logo}
