Land of Winter: When United were Hibernian
Football and societal history, trends and regional traditions are intrinsically linked at their roots the world over. Their initial formations are often a result of connections to community, location, trade and identity. No more so than in Scotland, where a mix of the above has led to the creation of many historic sporting institutions; one such being Dundee Hibernian, the formative version of today’s Dundee United.
We're all aware of the differences in religious beliefs that separate the followers of Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers and, to a lesser degree, Edinburgh's Hibernian and Hearts, for example, although while this is a topic often spoken about, the beginnings of these club’s, and that of others, are a little more nuanced than solely that, and in many cases completely irrespective of it.
The mid-to-late 19th century bore witness to devastation caused by the somewhat oxymoronically named ‘Great famine’ in Ireland. An event brought about by the infestation of potato crops across Europe, and the unfair distribution of food supplies as a consequence, something Ireland took the brunt of.
The far-reaching and varied cognitive effects that stemmed from this, when played out at length, saw starvation and malady along with loss of income and eviction, particularly in the western and southern regions, which were hit hardest
The understandable, somewhat obvious result of this was a mass emigration of native Irish - most in search of work, lodgings and basic necessities - to the United Kingdom, despite the fractured relationships between nations that the famine had caused.
The final outcome was a sad, long-term decimation of the Irish population, through death and fleeing; not only to the UK, but to Canada, Australia and the United States of America, too.
Those who headed to Scotland’s shores took up residency in the western or central industrial towns or cities in the main, where hands-on manual labour and trades were most plentifully available.
Many that did go further east ended up at the coastal city of Dundee, on the north bank of the Firth of the Tay, looking out onto the North Sea.
Dundee was (and still is, to a degree) a place known for its standing in the textiles and linen industry, and a number of Irish migrants with experience in that sector from their homeland headed there in search of employment suitable to their skills.
Some of the cities struggled to cope with the mass influx at that time, one which, in some cases, led to poverty, homelessness, outbreaks of ill-health and a strain of public facilities and finances. However, while thousands of Irish nationals were repatriated around the midpoint of the 1900’s to try and alleviate things somewhat, the economy, alongside general public health, would recover and eventually flourish as relations became a little more placated and the country looked to a more united future.
Fast forward around half a century, and while the city already had a strong, well-established football club in the shape of Dundee FC - themselves formed in 1893 as a merger between pre-existing local clubs Dundee East End and Dundee Our Boys - the local Irish community looked to establish an alternative, one that stood for their identity and values, but not exclusively, and not politically restricted or religiously motivated that way at its core. Dundee Harp FC had fulfilled this role from 1879 to 1894, but a void had been left for the subsequent 15 years upon their folding.
After several failed attempts to get a new entity up and running, a group of locally-based Irish businessmen - led by bicycle tradesman Pat Reilly - would succeed in their endeavours, and in 1909, after months of planning, Dundee Hibernian (Hibernia being the Latin name for Ireland. It translates into English as ‘Land of Winter’) were officially formed.
Initially, in-line with their Irish heritage, the club would play in green and white and took up residence at Clepington Park (taking over the lease from Dundee Wanderers, who themselves folded soon after in 1913), quickly renaming it Tannadice Park, the club’s (in their current guise) home to this day.
Image credit - bohemiansportinglife.com
Dundee Hibernian would be first managed by the aforementioned Pat Reilly, and the club’s first ever game was a home friendly against Hibs of Edinburgh. A crowd of around 7,000 was in attendance to see the 1-1 draw, with Jamie Docherty scoring the newly-formed sides first ever goal.
Dundee Hibs’ first application for membership into the Scottish League for the 1909/10 season was knocked back, and Reilly's team had to settle for a place in the Northern League.
Victory and silverware on the pitch came quickly in the shape the Carrie Cup - a regional cup competition the for clubs of Forfarshire that still exists today (now called the Forfarshire Cup), and that the club has gone on to win a further 20 times, in one form or another - and success off the field soon followed as the club's Board of Directors' tireless lobbying saw a second Scottish League application accepted and Dundee Hibernian joined for the 1910/11 campaign, competing with the likes of Dumbarton, Ayr United, Cowdenbeath and Vale of Leven; and playing their opening game against Leith Athletic at Tannadice.
Their stay at the new level would be relatively short-lived, however, as the break out of the First World War in 1914 saw the Scottish League as it was up to that point brought to a halt. During the war years, Dundee Hibernian, along with teams such as Kirkcaldy United, Armadale and East Stirlingshire, took part in the Eastern League until it's 1918 discontinuation.
As the war ended, the Scottish League undertook some structural alterations resulting in the enlargement of the top-flight to the detriment of the Second Division, which ceased to exist at this point.
The Tannadice club resigned from the Scottish League, instead entering a newly-formed Eastern League for the 1919/20 season - one that saw them perform strongly throughout and lift the title at its conclusion.
Dundee Hibs briefly rejoined the Scottish League in 1920. However they quickly resigned once more following the failed motion to resurrect a Second Division was turned down, becoming one of many former second-tier clubs to take part in the Central League instead.
Just a year later, though, the Scottish League hierarchy gave in to pressure and demands, setting up a Second Division with automatic promotion and relegation places included. A move that saw all Central League teams move over and partake in the reformed structure.
Part of the agreement, however, stipulated that - in order to bring numbers into line - the bottom two clubs in the second-tier at the end of the 1921/22 campaign would lose their league status.
Unfortunately, Dundee Hibernian was one of those clubs (along with Clackmannan) and therefore once again found themselves divisionally homeless.
Image credit - @DundeeHibernian
Efforts and pleas from those in charge of the club to gain some sort of reprieve fell on deaf ears and Dundee Hibernian were mere days from disappearing from the Scottish footballing landscape completely before being offered salvation and a place in the Scottish Alliance League - essentially a division that offered football for First Division reserve sides.
It was a time of struggle for the then 13-year-old club, but behind the scenes Directors were once again busy lobbying their counterparts and league chiefs, requesting a place back in the Scottish League setup, something that would eventually prove successful as Dundee Hibs were voted back into the Second Division in time for the 1923/24 season.
That campaign would see the club start as Dundee Hibernian, but conclude it as the Dundee United we know today. In an attempt to broaden the club's appeal more generically, the Board of Directors seeked a change of name. Initially, Dundee City was the popular choice, but objections to the proposal were made by Dundee FC, and, following further discussion, Dundee United was chosen as the club’s new title nearly a decade and a half on from their original foundation.
The hierarchy also decided to move away from the green and white colours of their Hibernian past, too, opting to proceed wearing black and white from that point. It wouldn't be until 1967, and United's participation in a United Soccer Association tournament in America - playing under the name Dallas Tornado - that they would first don the tangerine and black we associate with the club these days.
Their first match under the new name of Dundee United took place on October 27th 1923; Dumbarton the opponents. Just seven days from the club's final outing as Dundee Hibernian - a 3-2 victory against King's Park.
Growth was gradual, but consistent for the newly-named outfit. Since their original creation, the club had been in the shadow of city rivals Dundee somewhat. Unsurprisingly so, given the Dark Blues’ longer existence.
Over time though, the Terrors of United and Dundee would share similar profiles off the pitch and levels of success on it. The two clubs, based almost next door to one another (thus making it the closest derby in Britain in terms of distance) have spent the majority of their existences floating around the top two tiers of the Scottish game.
Image credit - scotsman.com
Both have won the Scottish League title on one occasion, both have won the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup and both have made forays into the latter stages of European competitions in their respective histories.
While Dundee FC's halcyon days perhaps came in the 1960s, United's have been more recent. The 1980s began with back to back League Cup successes (1979/80 and 1980/81) before they became Scottish champions (1982/83 season) for the first time under the stewardship of lose-serving manager and club legend Jim McLean.
In what was a real golden era for the Terrors, McLean would guide his men to the 1983/84 European Cup semi-finals (losing 3-2 on aggregate to Italian giants Roma) before finishing as UEFA Cup runners-up in 1986/87 as Swedish side IFK Göteborg defeated them in the final. Jim McLean, coincidentally a former player with their city rivals from down the road, held the Tannadice managerial position for an incredible 22 years between 1971 and 1993.
Following Dundee United's promotion from the Scottish second-tier last season, both of the city's club's will renew rivalries in the Premiership for the next campaign. It'll be something both sets of supporters will relish; and while history shows there's little to separate the two overall, if it wasn't for Pat Reilly and his fellow founders’ actions at the beginning of the 20th century, there may not be that friendly rivalry to enjoy at all.
Featured image credit - hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/through-the-turnstile.com
Words By Chris Kelly (@ccalciok)