1996–97 Dundee United F.C. season
The 1996–97 season was the 85th year of football played by Dundee United, and covered the period from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997. United finished in third place in the league following their promotion from the First Division and qualified for the UEFA Cup in the process. The club lost in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup after a replay and were knocked out of the League Cup in a third round penalty shootout by rivals Dundee.
1996–97 season | |
---|---|
Chairman | Jim McLean |
Manager | Billy Kirkwood (until 10 September 1996) Tommy McLean (from 10 September 1996) |
Scottish Premier Division | 3rd (UEFA Cup) W17 D9 L10 F46 A33 P60 |
Tennent's Scottish Cup | Semi-finals |
Coca-Cola Cup | Third round |
Top goalscorer | League: Kjell Olofsson (12) All: Kjell Olofsson (13) |
Highest home attendance | 12,600 (vs Celtic, 1 February 1997) |
Lowest home attendance | 6,387 (vs Raith Rovers, 22 March 1997) |
Season review
United finished the Scottish Premier Division 1996–97 season in 3rd place with 60 points, in the first season back in the top flight after the single season in the First Division. Despite taking just one point from the first six games, United finished third, with the appointment of Tommy McLean starting an immediate six-game unbeaten run, bettered later by a thirteen-game unbeaten succession, which included eight straight league wins.
The cup campaigns saw a 3rd round League Cup penalty shootout defeat to rivals Dundee and a semi-final Scottish Cup defeat (after a replay) to eventual winners Kilmarnock.
Off the pitch, United started a four-year successive run of 'Premier League Programme of the Year'.[1]
Match results
Dundee United played a total of 44 competitive matches during the 1996–97 season.[2] The team finished third in the Premier Division.
Legend
Win | Draw | Loss |
All results are written with Dundee United's score first.
Premier Division
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 August 1996 | Motherwell | H | 1–1 | 8,127 | McSwegan |
17 August 1996 | Hibernian | H | 0–1 | 8,589 | |
24 August 1996 | Rangers | A | 0–1 | 48,285 | |
7 September 1996 | Hearts | A | 0–1 | 11,858 | |
14 September 1996 | Celtic | H | 1–2 | 12,152 | McSwegan |
21 September 1996 | Raith Rovers | A | 2–3 | 5,077 | McSwegan, Hannah |
28 September 1996 | Aberdeen | H | 1–0 | 10,359 | McSwegan |
12 October 1996 | Kilmarnock | H | 0–0 | 7,365 | |
19 October 1996 | Dunfermline | A | 1–1 | 6,982 | Winters |
26 October 1996 | Hearts | H | 1–0 | 9,353 | Winters |
2 November 1996 | Motherwell | A | 3–1 | 5,814 | Olofsson, McKinnon, Winters |
16 November 1996 | Aberdeen | A | 3–3 | 13,800 | McLaren, Winters, Olofsson |
23 November 1996 | Raith Rovers | H | 1–2 | 8,028 | Duffy |
30 November 1996 | Dunfermline | H | 1–1 | 7,646 | Winters |
7 December 1996 | Kilmarnock | A | 2–0 | 5,814 | Olofsson (2) |
10 December 1996 | Rangers | H | 1–0 | 12,529 | Gough |
14 December 1996 | Hibernian | A | 1–1 | 8,250 | McLaren |
21 December 1996 | Celtic | A | 0–1 | 46,590 | |
26 December 1996 | Motherwell | H | 2–0 | 8,072 | McSwegan, Hannah |
28 December 1996 | Raith Rovers | A | 1–0 | 5,762 | Olofsson |
1 January 1997 | Aberdeen | H | 4–0 | 9,736 | Winters, Pressley (2), Olofsson |
4 January 1997 | Kilmarnock | H | 2–0 | 8,508 | Malpas, McKinnon |
11 January 1997 | Dunfermline | A | 3–1 | 7,698 | Olofsson (2), McInally |
18 January 1997 | Hearts | A | 2–1 | 12,777 | Olofsson, McKinnon |
1 February 1997 | Celtic | H | 1–0 | 12,600 | McSwegan |
8 February 1997 | Hibernian | H | 0–0 | 9,219 | |
22 February 1997 | Kilmarnock | A | 3–2 | 6,054 | McKinnon (3) |
1 March 1997 | Dunfermline | H | 2–1 | 8,160 | McLaren, Olofsson |
12 March 1997 | Rangers | A | 2–0 | 49,192 | Winters, Olofsson |
15 March 1997 | Aberdeen | A | 1–1 | 13,645 | Olofsson |
22 March 1997 | Raith Rovers | H | 2–1 | 6,387 | Winters (2) |
5 April 1997 | Hibernian | A | 0–2 | 11,010 | |
19 April 1997 | Motherwell | A | 1–1 | 5,500 | Zetterlund |
3 May 1997 | Hearts | H | 1–0 | 7,405 | McSwegan |
7 May 1997 | Rangers | H | 0–1 | 12,180 | |
10 May 1997 | Celtic | A | 0–3 | 46,758 |
Tennent's Scottish Cup
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 January 1997 | Stirling | A | 2–0 | 3,300 | Winters, McSwegan |
16 February 1997 | Hearts | A | 1–1 | 14,833 | McManus |
25 February 1997 | Hearts | H | 1–0 | 12,283 | Winters |
8 March 1997 | Motherwell | H | 4–1 | 12,283 | McLaren (2), Winters, Olofsson |
14 April 1997 | Kilmarnock | N | 0–0 | 12,391 | |
22 April 1997 | Kilmarnock | N | 0–1 | 9,225 |
Player details
During the 1996–97 season, United used 31 different players comprising five nationalities. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[3]
No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Premier Division | Tennent's Scottish Cup | Coca-Cola Cup | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
GK | Sieb Dykstra | 28 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
GK | Lance Key | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
GK | Ally Maxwell | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
DF | Armand Benneker | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
DF | Neil Duffy | 17 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
DF | Stewart McKimmie | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
DF | Jamie McQuilken | 11 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
DF | Maurice Malpas | 32 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
DF | Erik Pedersen | 31 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
DF | Mark Perry | 43 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
DF | Steven Pressley | 43 | 2 | 36 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
DF | Rab Shannon | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
MF | Paul Black | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | Dave Bowman | 30 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
MF | Jamie Dolan | 19 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | Craig Easton | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | David Hannah | 11 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | Grant Johnson | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
MF | Jim McInally | 20 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | Ray McKinnon | 31 | 6 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
MF | Andy McLaren | 41 | 6 | 34 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
MF | Sandy Robertson | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | David Sinclair | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | Paul Walker | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | Jonas Wirmola | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
MF | Lars Zetterlund | 32 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
FW | Owen Coyle | 11 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
FW | Gary McSwegan | 38 | 9 | 30 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
FW | Kjell Olofsson | 31 | 13 | 25 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
FW | Steven Thompson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
FW | Robbie Winters | 43 | 12 | 36 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
GoalscorersUnited had 12 players score with the team scoring 58 goals in total. The top goalscorer was Kjell Olofsson, who finished the season with 13 goals.[4]
|
DisciplineUnited had three players sent off and seventeen players received at least one caution. In total, the team received three red cards and[3]
Note: disciplinary statistics are missing for Coca-Cola match vs Dundee and Scottish Cup matches vs Kilmarnock |
Team statistics
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rangers (C) | 36 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 85 | 33 | +52 | 80 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
2 | Celtic | 36 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 78 | 32 | +46 | 75 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round[lower-alpha 1] |
3 | Dundee United | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 46 | 33 | +13 | 60 | |
4 | Heart of Midlothian | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 46 | 43 | +3 | 52 | |
5 | Dunfermline Athletic | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 52 | 65 | −13 | 45 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champion.
Notes:
- As the League Cup winners Rangers had qualified for European competition via their league position, the place in the UEFA Cup was passed to the next highest placed team in the league, Dundee United.
Transfers
InThe club signed twelve players during the season with approximately £650k spent on transfer fees. In addition, three players were promoted from youth contracts: Paul Black, Craig Easton, Steven Thompson, with all three featuring at least once during the season.
|
OutTen players left the club during the season, with the club receiving over £1.35m in transfer sales, representing an overall transfer profit of around £700k.
|
References
- "Programme of the Year Awards". Programme Monthly & Football Collectible. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "Dundee Utd 1996/1997 results and fixtures". Soccerbase. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
- "Dundee Utd 1996/1997 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
- "1996–97". Glenrothes Arabs. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Lance Key". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Neil Duffy". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Armand Benneker". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Jim McInally". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "Player A to Z: Lars Zetterlund". Glenrothes Arabs. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "Player A to Z: Kjell Olofsson". Glenrothes Arabs. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "Player A to Z: Erik Pedersen". Glenrothes Arabs. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Sieb Dykstra". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Jamie Dolan". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Jonas Wirmola". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: David Sinclair". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Stewart McKimmie". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Craig Brewster". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Brian Welsh". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Christian Dailly". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Kelham O'Hanlon". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Rab Shannon". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: David Hannah". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Owen Coyle". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Scott Crabbe". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- "The Internet Soccer Database: Lance Key". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.