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Dundee Utd reach the UEFA Cup Final 1987

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In the days before the Eastern Bloc flooded European competition with teams which had previously been consumed by Soviet or Yugoslav leagues, Scottish teams trod a slightly easier path through continental competition. However, even in these less-taxing conditions prior to pre-qualifying rounds and seeding, ultimate success was restricted to the Old Firm's exploits in the 1960s and 1970s.

But the east coast's "New Firm" changed all that. Aberdeen's charge to the Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 - and a near-miss the season before - was remarkable not only in terms of the much larger teams they knocked out along the way, but also in the way it paved the path for their neighbours Dundee United to have a crack at the bigger prizes.

United had already established a European pedigree in the early 1980s, and of course as their near-neighbours up the coast were beating Real Madrid in Gothenburg, United were celebrating a first-ever league championship. This entitled them to a crack at the Champions Cup in 1983-84, and a majestic run ended unluckily at the semi-final stage, with only a hotly-contested penalty denying United a 'British Championship' decider, and mighty Liverpool in the final.

But the Euro success did not begin there - United had reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1983. The 1984 run was followed by something of a barren spell on the continent, but Jim McLean was simply preparing for perhaps his greatest achievements as a manager in the 1986/87 UEFA Cup.

In those days, first-round entry was a given, and United were paired with French side RC Lens. This tie nearly sounded the death-knell for their entire Euro run, with the French club wasting chance upon chance to put the tie beyond reach in the first leg. Billy "The Fish" Thomson somehow managed to limit Lens to a single goal, then back at Tannadice Ralph Milne and Tommy Coyne's strikes in a 5-minute spell, soon settled matters.

Romanian opposition was drawn for the next round in the shape of Universitea Craiova. Gaining confidence as the rounds wore on, United stormed the first leg 3-0 with two from Ian Redford and one from John Clark. A 1-0 reverse in the second leg saw United safely into the third round and a trip to the Balkans. Again, a home draw was purloined and Jim McInally's strike, followed by another from John Clark, settled the tie ahead of a 0-0 away draw - ensuring a long winter break before competition resumed in March 1987.

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And so came the ultimate test, and a glamour quarter-final tie against Terry Venables's Barcelona side, then en route to the Spanish championship. The opposition featured a star-studded international line-up, with Brit exports Lineker and Hughes providing domestic interest, plus notables such as Zubizaretta and Victor.

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Again, home advantage came to pass, and United, who by now had perfected the counter-attacking style to devastating effect, found themselves taking a 1-0 advantage to Camp Nou - thanks to Kevin Gallacher's second-minute strike. Most observers expected the kitchen sink treatment in Spain, and Caldere's first-half strike did nothing to dissuade the neutral - but big John Clark scored his third of the campaign with 5 minutes left - a vital away goal which left Barca staring at the proverbial mountain, before Iain Ferguson put the tie beyond doubt in the dying seconds.

Few teams held any fear for the Tangerines and the draw paired them with German hard-men Borussia Moenchengladbach. Yet another initial home tie served only to frustrate the Arabs, a no-score draw giving the cocky Borussia side a perceived advantage for the return leg. However the amazing counter-attacking style perfected by few Scottish teams worked wonders, with Iain Ferguson again taking the lead and Ian Redford settling matters with yet another final-minute strike. The win echoed a similarly comfortable 5-0 success over the same German side in 1981.

In the 1980s, UEFA Cup finals were two-legged affairs starved of the showpiece neutral venue, but that in itself only served to reinforce the achievement - Dundee would host its first, and probably only, European final on April 22nd 1987.

Over 50,000 fans witnessed the Swedish leg of the tie, and despite giving a fair account of themselves, United were pegged back by Stefan Pettersson's 38th minute goal.

21,000 supporters jammed into Tannadice for a hopefully successful return leg, with an audience of over 70 million tuning in across Europe - firmly putting Dundee and Scotland on the footballing map. However hopes were dashed by a sickening away goal barely 22 minutes into the match, from Lennart Nilsson. John Clark gave the hosts hope on the hour mark, but despite a flurry of chances the Tangerines just couldn't score the two goals needed for victory.

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However nothing could diminish the achievement that night, and in what would become Scotland's badge of honour in future cross-border competitions, the United fans stayed behind en masse to share Gothenburg's celebrations, as much as they applauded their own team's efforts.

FIFA recognised the fans with the first-ever Fair Play award, a fact recorded by a new family stand at Tanndice bearing the title. That, as much as any sporting achievement, is a legacy worth preserving.

Written by: Dave Low