A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1986–87 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | George Fox |
| Manager | Jim McLean |
| Stadium | Tannadice Park |
| Scottish Premier Division | 3rd |
| Scottish Cup | Runners-up |
| Scottish League Cup | Semi-finals |
| UEFA Cup | Runners-up |
| Top goalscorer | League: Iain Ferguson (16) All: Iain Ferguson (28) |
The 1986–87 season was the 78th year of football played by Dundee United, and covers the period from 1 July 1986 to 30 June 1987. United finished in third place, securing UEFA Cup football for the following season. They reached the Scottish Cup final, only to lose after extra-time to St Mirren. The season is most notable for the club's run to the UEFA Cup Final, knocking out Barcelona, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Universitatea Craiova en route. United lost 2–1 on aggregate to IFK Gothenburg in the final.
Match results
Dundee United played a total of 67 competitive matches during the 1986–87 season.[1] The team finished third in the Scottish Premier Division.
In the cup competitions, United lost in the final of the Scottish Cup to St Mirren and lost in the Skol Cup semi-finals. Swedish side Gothenburg defeated United in the final of the UEFA Cup over two legs.
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
All results are written with Dundee United's score first.
Premier Division
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1986 | Aberdeen | H | 2–1 | 10,910 | Gough, Redford |
| 13 August 1986 | Clydebank | A | 0–0 | 1,612 | |
| 16 August 1986 | Rangers | A | 3–2 | 43,995 | Gallacher, Redford |
| 23 August 1986 | Hearts | H | 1–0 | 11,068 | Hegarty |
| 30 August 1986 | St Mirren | H | 3–0 | 6,168 | Ferguson, Gallacher, Bannon |
| 6 September 1986 | Dundee | A | 2–0 | 12,079 | Milne, Bannon |
| 13 September 1986 | Celtic | H | 2–2 | 19,792 | Ferguson, Gallacher |
| 20 September 1986 | Hamilton Academical | A | 5–1 | 2,876 | Hegarty (2), Ferguson (2), Sturrock |
| 27 September 1986 | Hibernian | A | 1–1 | 5,407 | Redford |
| 4 October 1986 | Falkirk | H | 2–0 | 5,957 | Ferguson (2) |
| 8 October 1986 | Motherwell | H | 4–0 | 5,740 | Philliben, Ferguson, Wishart, Coyne |
| 11 October 1986 | Aberdeen | A | 0–2 | 14,922 | |
| 18 October 1986 | Clydebank | H | 2–0 | 5,314 | Auld, Bannon |
| 25 October 1986 | Hearts | A | 2–2 | 14,320 | Sturrock (2) |
| 29 October 1986 | Rangers | H | 0–0 | 20,171 | |
| 1 November 1986 | St Mirren | A | 1–0 | 3,930 | Ferguson |
| 8 November 1986 | Dundee | H | 0–3 | 11,733 | |
| 15 November 1986 | Celtic | A | 0–1 | 34,319 | |
| 19 November 1986 | Hamilton Academical | H | 3–0 | 4,280 | Clark, Ferguson, Sturrock |
| 22 November 1986 | Hibernian | H | 1–0 | 6,862 | Bannon |
| 29 November 1986 | Falkirk | A | 1–2 | 4,500 | Redford |
| 3 December 1986 | Motherwell | A | 2–0 | 2,312 | Page, Redford |
| 6 December 1986 | Aberdeen | H | 0–0 | 10,242 | |
| 13 December 1986 | Clydebank | A | 2–1 | 1,396 | Ferguson, Bannon |
| 20 December 1986 | Hearts | H | 3–1 | 11,749 | Sturrock, Bannon, Ferguson |
| 27 December 1986 | Rangers | A | 0–2 | 42,165 | |
| 6 January 1987 | St Mirren | H | 2-0 | 5,798 | Redford, Sturrock |
| 10 January 1987 | Celtic | H | 3-2 | 19,020 | Ferguson, Gallacher, Bannon |
| 24 January 1987 | Hibernian | A | 2-0 | 7,398 | Gallacher, McInally |
| 7 February 1987 | Falkirk | H | 2-1 | 8,804 | Ferguson, Gallacher |
| 14 February 1987 | Motherwell | H | 2-0 | 9,902 | Gallacher, Ferguson |
| 28 February 1987 | Aberdeen | A | 1-0 | 12,850 | Bannon |
| 7 March 1987 | Clydebank | H | 1-1 | 5,541 | Hegarty |
| 10 March 1987 | Dundee | A | 1-1 | 11,615 | Gallacher |
| 21 March 1987 | Rangers | H | 0-1 | 21,278 | |
| 28 March 1987 | Dundee | H | 1-1 | 12,220 | Glennie |
| 4 April 1987 | St Mirren | A | 1-2 | 2,538 | Redford |
| 14 April 1987 | Hamilton | A | 0-0 | 2,062 | |
| 18 April 1987 | Celtic | A | 1-1 | 23,798 | Clark |
| 25 April 1987 | Falkirk | A | 2-1 | 4,930 | Ferguson (2) |
| 28 April 1987 | Hamilton | H | 2-1 | 7,244 | Bannon, Clark |
| 2 May 1987 | Hibernian | H | 2-1 | 9,301 | Gallacher, Redford |
| 9 May 1987 | Motherwell | A | 0-1 | 2,340 | |
| 11 May 1987 | Hearts | A | 1-1 | 6,779 | Kirkwood |
Scottish Cup
| Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 January 1987 | R3 | Airdrieonians | H | 1–1 | 9,169 | Gallacher |
| 9 February 1987 | R3 | Airdrieonians | A | 2–1 | 5,000 | Ferguson, Gallacher |
| 12 February 1987 | R4 | Brechin City | A | 1–0 | 19,355 | Gallacher |
| 14 March 1987 | QF | Forfar Athletic | H | 2–2 | 7,985 | Malpas, Ferguson |
| 24 March 1987 | QF | Forfar Athletic | A | 2–0 | 8,139 | Holt, Ferguson |
| 11 April 1987 | SF | Dundee | N | 3–2 | 13,913 | Ferguson (2), Hegarty |
| 16 May 1987 | F | St Mirren | N | 0–1 | 51,782 |
Skol Cup
| Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 1986 | R2 | Queen of the South | A | 1–0 | 4,212 | Gallacher |
| 27 August 1986 | R3 | Ayr United | A | 3–0 | 3,680 | Ferguson (2), Gallacher |
| 3 September 1986 | QF | Hibernian | A | 2–0 | 9,212 | Ferguson (2) |
| 24 September 1986 | SF | Rangers | A | 1–2 | 45,249 | Ferguson |
