25 years ago today

Dundee United 0 Dunfermline 1,
Stewart Petrie (7).
Pars two points clear with one match at home to Airdrie remaining

April 27th 1996 was a day of a match that every Pars fan alive at the time will recall as one when a momentous result was taken away from Tannadice.

With two matches of the 1995-96 season remaining Dundee United sat top on 66 points. Hoping to bounce straight back into the SPL, they were being pursued by Dunfermline one point behind, with Morton and St Johnstone still harbouring their hopes.

It was a big match for both clubs. United fans were relishing the prospect that a victory would mean promotion. Pars fans had travelled in great numbers and you cut the atmosphere with a knife as Dunfermline kicked off in front of the all-ticket crowd.

Ahead of a celebratory programme being produced by the Dunfermline Athletic Heritage Trust to make the 25th anniversary of the Pars winning the Bells First Division several players from that era have been speaking about that day in the Dundee sunshine.

Above: Allan Moore, Dunfermline Athletic 1994-1997

Allan Moore, now assistant manager to Danny Lennon at Clyde, claimed that the Fifers had been motivated by leaked information about a planned United celebration and the relocation of Pars fans in the stadium that proved a boost:-

“We had heard that they had booked a party because if they won that day they won the league. That galvanised us to the thinking that they were not going to win it against us.

“I remember it being a great atmosphere with a right good Dunfermline support there that day. Walking out that tunnel to be greeted by that stand full of people.”

Speaking from Vancouver from where he is still involved in football Colin Miller confessed:-

“One of the best experiences that I have had in my life was that game. We were supposed to have no chance, they had parties organised. That was just an incentive.

“When the chips are down you really find out what people are like and we showed real character in those last two games of the season.”

Marc Millar said:-

“There was a real hunger and desire. They hit the bar twice, possession wise and chances wise we got battered but we just defended for our lives. I had never heard 2000 Pars fans make that much noise in their life.”

Goalkeeper Ian Westwater remembered the press coverage of fellow managers predictions with only Jimmy Bone, uncle of Pars Kevin O’Hara, favouring a Dunfermline victory:-

“It was brought to the attention of Bert and Dick that one of the press guys had gone through the other managers asking who they thought was going to get promoted. All but one had said that it was going to be United and only Jimmy Bone went for Dunfermline because he was Dick’s pal. I remember Dick going on about how everyone had written us off and so we needed to go and stick it right up them, which we did of course.

“It was a fantastic result that day, I am not so sure it was a fantastic performance but it was a performance where we ground out a result. Christian Dailly hit the bar twice in the last ten or fifteen minutes but I did not actually have a lot to do. We defended as a team.”

A full match report is available at the link below.

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