Photo Of The Day: Celtic Fans Packed Into Tannadice In 1986 (Dundee Utd 2-2 Celtic)

The return of the photo of the day feature takes a trip down memory lane and brings you an image from a packed out Tannadice in September 1986.

The game was a pulsating encounter, with Celtic being “robbed of victory by the man in black,” according to a headline in the Glasgow Herald. The article stated “Celtic were the victims of barefaced robbery and the accused is Carluke referee Donald McVicar.”

The Hoops had led 2-0 at one stage, goals coming from McClair and McStay. Then two incidents turned the match. Paul Hegarty blatantly fouled Tony Shepherd inside the box and the referee turned a blind eye – even the Dundee United players admitted as much as full time. Iain Ferguson took advantage of the Arab’s good fortune to peg a goal back in the 65th minute, before Kevin Gallacher scored an equaliser with five minutes remaining. However, Ralph Milne had been so far offside before supply Gallacher with the cross, that he was almost engulfed by the Utd fans behind the goal.

The Celtic players surrounded the referee at full time and some fans pelted the match official with coins. As for manager Davie Hay, he remarked that he was just glad that Celtic had a Welsh referee for their upcoming European game against Shamrock Rovers.

Despite the dubious officiating, the image represents a great time in Scottish football. The league was competitive, as evidenced by the fact that the result meant Celtic had won just once in their last 10 visits to Tannadice, whilst the attendances at games in that era were terrific.

Just look at that packed out away end… there was only seating room on the spikey railings for some!

About Author

Hailing from an Irish background, I grew up on the English south coast with the good fortune to begin watching Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era. I have written four Celtic books since the age of 19: Our Stories & Our Songs: The Celtic Support, Take Me To Your Paradise: A History Of Celtic-Related Incidents & Events, Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys: Celtic's Founding Fathers, First Season & Early Stars, and The Holy Grounds of Glasgow Celtic: A Guide To Celtic Landmarks & Sites Of Interest. These were previously sold in Waterstones and official Celtic FC stores, and are now available on Amazon.

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