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Dundee United A - Z ( O )
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| OLDEST |
Gordon Wallace is the oldest player to play in a first-team match for Dundee United. He was aged 50 and was club coach when a long injury list saw him drafted into the team against a Tobago XI during the club’s Caribbean tour in June 1994. He played the full match and United won 4–2.
The oldest player to make a competitive appearance also did so in extremis. At the age of 40 years and eight months, Jimmy Brownlie was manager during the club’s second season in Division One when regular goalkeeper Bill Paterson was ruled out through injury for the Scottish Cup replay with Hearts at Tynecastle in February 1926. In those days, United had no reserve team and goalkeeping injuries were covered by fielding a trialist. As only signed players were eligible for cup ties, Brownlie was forced to emerge from retirement.
The oldest player to make a scheduled competitive appearance was also a goalkeeper. Former England international goalkeeper Peter Bonetti’s last match for United came in the Premier Division in September 1979, when he was aged 38 years and two days.
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| Michael O’ NEILL (born 1969) |
The Irishman became United’s record signing when he joined from Newcastle United for £350,000 in August 1989. He had first come to manager Jim McLean’s attention playing against United for his hometown club, Coleraine, in the Uefa Cup in 1987.
Unfortunately, despite winning 12 Nothern Ireland caps while with United, O’Neill failed to make much impact during his four years at Tannadice, managing a total of only 63 League appearances. He was transferred to Hibernian for a fee of £400,000 in 1993, and three years later moved back to England with Coventry City.
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| Peter O’ROURKE, Snr ( 1874 - 1956) |
Despite being one of the club’s shortest-serving managers – he was in charge of Dundee Hibs between December 1922 and March 1923 – O’Rourke came to Tannadice with one of the most distinguished records.
Born in Ayrshire, he won a Scottish junior international cap and played for Celtic, Burnley, Lincoln City, Third Lanark and Bradford City before taking on the role of manager at his last club. He remained with Bradford for 14 years, all but three of which were spent in the First Division, and he led the club to what remains their only FA Cup win in 1911.
O’Rourke had dropped into non-League football when the call came from the new board which had just taken over at Tannadice. At that time Dundee Hibs were a non-League club, playing in the Scottish Alliance. He agreed to lend his vast experience to help turn the club round, but soon recognised that, without the necessary finance to bring in good quality players, the task was beyond him. O’Rourke departed, along with his sons Michael and Peter junior, whom he had signed as players, but was soon in demand back in England. He subsequently managed Bradford Park Avenue, Bradford City again, and finally the Welsh club Llanelli, before retiring in 1933.
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