WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL 1981 – The Scottish League Championship is clinched at Tannadice Park with a hard-worked 3-2 win over Dundee United. Murdo MacLeod, Frank McGarvey and Tommy Burns score the goals for Celtic, but Dundee United make them work hard and score through Willie Pettigrew and Paul Sturrock. A lap of honour is held at the end, and substitute Johnny Doyle throws his tracksuit into the Celtic crowd.
David Potter
Celtic’s Tannadice Title Wins – 1981
Celtic emerged through the pack in 1979 to hit the top just before the finishing post the Monday night when ten men won the league. The next season the opposite happened when Celtic finished poorly and gifted the title to Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen..
A Scottish Cup final win over Rangers was some consolation but it was hard to shake the title loss that was all our own fault.
The next season Celtic played the best football of since Billy McNeill took over from Jock Stein as Celtic manager and after winning at Ibrox we travelled to Dundee to face Jim McLean’s Dundee United knowing that a win would make us Champions.
It was a midweek match and all roads to Dundee were packed with our buses heading to Tannadice and we certainly didn’t pay £42 to stand on the terraces on what was a chilly evening for the time of year. Not that we noticed.
The official attendance was given as 15,349 (yeah right!)
The official attendance was given as 15,349 but there seemed many more than that there with so many managing to get in via alternative means. The Celtic support was huge, much more than the 3776 who will be there this weekend as Celtic look to stage another title winning party in the City of Discovery.
The Celtic team was Bonner; McGrain, McAdam, Aitken, Reid; Provan, Conroy, MacLeod, Burns; McGarvey, Nicholas. Subs:- MacDonald, Doyle
Dundee United had a decent side too. McAlpine, Holt, Kopel, Phillip, Hegarty, Stark, Bannon, Milne, Pettigrew, Sturrock, Addison. Sub:- Payne, Gough.
Murdo MacLeod scored with a brilliant header!
Murdo scored with a brilliant header in the opening few minutes as the Celtic support went wild but after around a quarter of an hour Pettigrew had levelled the score before the wonderful Frank McGarvey put Celtic ahead on 35 minutes played and it was 2-1 to Celtic at the break.
On the hour mark Tommy Burns scored an iconic Celtic goal and a goal of the season contender and Celtic looked home and dry Champions at 3-1. But Jim McLean’s sides never gave up and when Paul Sturrock made it 3-2 with 20 minutes to play our nerves were shattered counting down the minutes.
The Celtic celebrations were extra-special
The Celtic celebrations were extra-special with Tommy Burns the title winning hero, Danny McGrain the leader on the park and just magnificent and of course Cesar himself, so proud of his young team that looked to be on the verge of something very special.
Fate seems to like Tannadice as the venue for Celtic title winning parties
An absolutely brilliant night, as fate decided not for the last time, that Tannadice would be the venue for a title winning party. They’re all special but this one for me topped the lot. A wonderful memory. If you too were there please share your stories in the comments below.
“With Supporters like these, how can you fail to become champions? They are just incredible. I give Celtic credit for playing really well and beating us but these fans look as though they are part of the team.” Jim McLean, Dundee Utd Manager
The Celtic goals
22nd April 1981, Celtic beat Dundee Utd 3:2 at Tannadice to win the title.
Murdo, McGarvey and Burns. @murdomacleod06 pic.twitter.com/6MX54ALVPn
— Celtic GIFs (@CelticGIFs) April 21, 2025
The final whistle and the celebrations
Final whistle and celebrations. pic.twitter.com/KyZ8rcNgHb
— Celtic GIFs (@CelticGIFs) April 22, 2025
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My pal and I tried to get on the Glasgow Uni CSC for this game. Unfortunately it was chic a bloc. My pal knew three guys who couldn’t get on the bus too. One of them had a car . He decided to drive us up. He had a Simcs 1100 with only one windscreen wiper working.
Therd ware a number of snow flurries on the way to Dundee.
It was a brilliant night , out team were really good. In the build up to our first goal , my pal was shouting at Davie Provan to cross to Murdo . My pal had spotted Murdo’s run into the box.
It’s one of the best Celtic nights we have ever had.