Dundee United: a potted Scottish Cup history

OF THE 31 different teams to have appeared in a Scottish Cup final, Dundee United have ended the day as losing finalists on seven occasions, a record bettered only by Celtic and Rangers (obviously), Hibs (9) and Aberdeen (8).

United's first Cup final appearance came in 1974, when a team managed by a 36-year-old Jim MClean, and which included future Aberdeen, Manchester United, Rangers and current Motherwell manager Archie Knox as well current Sky Sports pundit Andy Gray lost out to Celtic. The Hoops, who won 3-0 on the day still had the likes of Kenny Dalglish (he wouldn't leave for Liverpool for another four years), Billy McNeil, Danny McGrain and Jinky Johnstone playing for them.

It would be another eight seasons before United reached their next final. Although they came close in season 77/78 (when Rangers beat them 2-0 in the semi-final in front of a low crowd of 25,000 at Hampden), they lost out to Aberdeen (75), Hibernian ('76), St Mirren ('77 and '79), Rangers ('80) in the intervening years.

Reflecting the rise of Dundee United during the early to mid-80's when, together with Aberdeen, United formed one half of the New Firm, a term coined to describe the ascendancy of the east-coast teams after decade upon decade of west-coast dominance in Scottish football, United's started making regular appearances at Hampden. As well as winning the league in 1983 (in an exciting three-way race between Aberdeen, Celtic and United) and featuring in the 1987 UEFA Cup Final in 1987 (United lost 2-1 to IFK Göteborg: along the way they'd also beaten Barcelona), between 1980 and 1991, United travelled to Glasgow on several occasions.

The League Cup was won in '80 (they beat Aberdeen in a replayed final) and '81 (city rivals Dundee being bat the wrong end of a 3-0 trashing), as well as runners up in '82 and '85 (Rangers on both occasions).

But in between all of that, United reached six Scottish Cup finals. The first, in 1980 ended in a 4-1 defeat against Rangers. To add insult to the injury, United manager Jim McLean's brother Tommy was playing for Rangers in that final. The Arabs would lose finals to Celtic on two occasions during this period: both games, in 1985 and 1988 where lost by 2-1. In between they lost 1-0 to St Mirren in 1987, the last final to feature two all-Scottish sides.

Their last losing final during this period came in 1991, when, after a tremendous game, Motherwell beat United 4-3, with the last Phil O'Donell scoring for the Steelmen. The final (which saw McLean losing to his brother Tommy, by now manager at Motherwell) was to be Jim McLean's last as United manager. After a career spanning nearly 20 years, McLean moved "upstairs", and Ivan Golac was tasked with filling the shoes of a club legend.

The irony that seems to follow United through the Scottish Cup continued on. Golac, at his first time of trying won the Scottish Cup in 1994. Rangers where the losers on this occasion, with Craig Brewster scoring the winning goal against a team managed by McLean's former assistant, Walter Smith.

It would take another eleven years for United to make it into the final. Most of the intervening years are years best forgotten for United fans. The season following their Cup final victory, United where relegated to the First Division. Although they only stayed there for one season, United only managed three top half finishes. This season's final position, 3rd, neatly bookmarks their first season back in the SPL in 1997, when again the team finished the season in third place.

Perhaps reflecting the team's decline over this period, they would reach only one more final, a 1-0 defeat to Celtic in 2005.

For Peter Houston and his team, the game tomorrow is the final chapter on a long and sometimes troubled season, but what better way to round it all off with a piece of silverware - their first in sixteen years.