Doug Smith signed for United in 1958 and had an association with the Club as player and Director for more than forty years. His term at Tannadice only came to an end in January 2002 when a new board took the reigns.

As a junior player Doug had played at right half, but when he was signed by United it was in the position of centre half. He was brought to United from Aberdeen Lads Club, which oddly enough was the same side from which Ron Yeats had been signed around a year earlier. For his first three years at Tannadice Doug spent most of his time in the reserves, while Ron Yeats was generally the first choice centre half.

After the arrival of Jerry Kerr as Manager in June 1959, Ron Yeats’s position in the middle of the half back line became virtually assured, arrangements were made to have him made available every Saturday. Yeats was then doing his obligatory two years national service but Manager Jerry Kerr made an agreement with his commanding officer to make sure Yeats could turn out for United. As it turned out this was an inspired idea from the Manager as the consistency achieved in the side helped achieve promotion that year. Ron Yeats was one of five players who made over thirty appearances.

As for the then nineteen-year-old Doug Smith, who was showing up well in the reserves, there were to be only two games in the first team. The first was his United debut, and he was in the side which lost 3-0 to Falkirk in a League Cup tie at Tanndice on 2nd September 1959. He then appeared again in a League match at Boghead where Dumbarton won 3-2 a week later. Both of these matches were played in midweek and Doug got the part only because Yeats was unable to travel from Aldershot where he was stationed.

1960-61 was of course United’s return to the top flight for the first time in nearly thirty years and the Club was determined to stay up. One important decision was made, and that was that Dundee United would become a full-time side. The Manager also decided to stick with virtually the same squad who had done so well in gaining promotion, so Doug Smith was restricted to only six League appearances. He was now regarded as the second choice to Ron Yeats who left at the end of the season to join Liverpool. This left the way clear for Doug to make the centre half job his own and how he did! Over the next ten seasons he missed only four competitive matches, two League and two League Cup, earning himself the tag of Mr Dependable in the process.

After United finished ninth in their newly achieved First Division status, the Manager was determined to maintain the Club’s position. He had established a nucleus of players such as Dennis Gillespie, Jimmy Briggs, Stewart Fraser and Tommy Neilson who along with Doug Smith would see the Club become firmly established in the top flight. In season 1961-62 United again achieved a creditable tenth position in the League with Doug missing only one match.

The following season witnessed a couple of landmarks in the career of Doug Smith. The first of these was a Scottish Cup semi-final appearance against Rangers. On route to this event United had knocked out Albion Rovers, Ayr United and Queen’s Park (after a replay). All of theses sides were in the Second Division at the time and none were beaten easily. In the quarter-final, United were paired with First Division Queen of the South, it took three games before United emerged the victors with a 4-0 second replay result at Ibrox. Rangers were a different proposition in the semi-final. Despite levelling two Rangers goals to go in at half time 2-2, United were beaten 5-2 at Hampden on 13th April 1963.

Only a couple of weeks later Doug notched landmark number two for the season with his first goal for the Club in a 2-2 draw against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on 1st May 1963. A seventh place finish with a best ever top League points haul of 41 made the doubters realise that United were in the top flight to stay, and it would not be long before even more would be achieved.

After the relative highs of the previous season, 1963-64 was fairly mundane. With the now almost annual exit from the League Cup after the sectional stages, (no real progress had been made in this tournament since 1956) and an early Scottish Cup exit in Paisley after a 0-0 draw at Tannadice, eighth place was attained in the League and Doug played in all bar one match which he missed due to injury. Throughout his career, Doug maintained an exceptional level of fitness which contributed to his consistency in the United side. He had an enormous appetite for the game and his commitment to the Terrors cause helped him to shrug off any injury worries.

In 1964-65 the League Cup at last provided some joy for the United support as Doug led the side to a semi-final against Rangers. United were in command and took a 1-0 half time advantage, and with only four minutes left that was how it stood. Rangers kept up a lot of pressure on United and then grabbed an equaliser to take the match into extra time where Rangers again scored. It later came to light that Doug had allegedly been the victim of gamesmanship as a Rangers player had shouted, “Leave it Doug” as he was about to clear a through ball. Thinking the call had come from keeper Sandy Davie, Doug left it only for Rangers to gain possession and score what was in the end the winner.

In the League that season United were not having much success. Eleven defeats in the first half of the campaign left United on eight points and facing the prospect of relegation. Manager Jerry Kerr then showed his astute eye for talent. He brought in firstly Orjan Persson and Finn Dosing and then Mogens Berg and Lennart Wing to stop the rot. In the end United were comfortably ninth, losing only twice in the second half of the season. Doug appeared in every match in all competitions. The success brought by the Scandinavian influx resulted in a Cup-final for United, albeit only the Summer Cup. Disposing of Dundee, St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Partick Thistle the Tanndice side scored 23 goals and conceded only five en route to the final against Motherwell. The Lanarkshire side won the Cup over two legs. It was a close run 3-2 aggregate victory and the confidence at Tanndice was high as 1965-66 approached.

The playing squad was considerably reduced for 1965-66. Despite a good start to the League Cup with wins over Celtic and Motherwell and a point away to Dundee, United went out, losing to all three in the return matches. In the Scottish Cup, Falkirk was taken care of but only after a replay. Aberdeen then knocked United out in a 5-0 drubbing at Pittodrie. It was not all bad news however. When the League campaign concluded, with Doug again an ever-present, United were a best ever fourth and gained entry to Europe for the first time.

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