| Extract from Section 1 of The Shed Go Marching On 1982-83 Better Than All The Rest ..............................................................The next match was a must-win game at Celtic Park and United were twice in the lead but each time the home side drew level. Gough was red-carded with an hour played but United showed tremendous character to win 3-2 with a cracking Milne goal near the end. Just a point behind Celtic again, United met Kilmarnock and scored all the goals in the first half to record a 4-0 win. News from Aberdeen confirmed that the Dons had beaten Celtic and United were clear at the top with just three games to go. All that was required was three wins for the title. There was no more whispering about the championship now. Everyone connected with the Club was determined to win it and they made no secret of that.
The Board took an innovative decision to meet the cost of admission for United fans at the next game against Morton in Greenock. The move paid off, with around 5,000 making the trip to witness another resounding 4-0 win. The goals kept coming and at Tannadice in the penultimate match, after a slow start, United hit another 4-0 win against Motherwell to set up the match that would decide whether the Terrors would win the championship, against Dundee at Dens Park, the scene of United’s two previous trophy successes.
No-one present that day will forget the rollercoaster ride during ninety minutes of high drama. Within eleven minutes United were two up with Milne scoring an unforgettable goal, chipping the ball into the net after he was set free by Sturrock. .jpg) Bannon netted the second, scoring from his own penalty rebound. Dundee pulled it back to 2-1 but United controlled the game to take the title and the fans celebrated well into the night and for several days after that! United’s team for that momentous event was:-
McAlpine, Stark, Malpas; Gough, Hegarty, Narey; Bannon, Milne, Kirkwood, Sturrock (Holt), Dodds.
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| | Extract from Section 2 of The Shed Go Marching On | 1982-83 Player Profiles Ian Britton was a guest in the testimonial for Dennis Gillespie in May 1973. A midfield player, he spent ten years with Chelsea, helping them win promotion to the English top flight in 1977. When he was released in the summer of 1982, he was offered training facilities at Tannadice before signing. After playing in a pre-season friendly against .jpg) Southampton on 11th August 1982, he made his debut in major competition for United against St Johnstone in a League Cup tie three days later. Ian featured in the first team in the early months of season 1982-83, playing a part in the side that won the League championship. He was less often in the side in the second half of the season, becoming very much a reserve player, turning out almost 50 times in the second string. He was released in October 1983, joining Arbroath for a short period before returning south where he played for Blackpool. He helped them win promotion to the Third Division in 1985. A year later Ian signed for Burnley, staying until 1989. He then played for non-league Morecambe and Accrington Stanley. John McNeil joined United on loan from Morton in season 1982-83, with Graeme Payne and Ian Gibson going in the opposite direction. He was a right sided attacking player and made his United deb.jpg) ut as a substitute for Ralph Milne in the final ten minutes of the Scottish League game against Rangers on 8th January 1983. It turned out to be his only first team outing and he completed his loan period in the reserves, returning to his own club at the end of February. Other than that single appearance for United, John was a one club player with Morton, who had won promotion to the Premier League three times during his stay with them between 1975 and 1992.
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