Manager Craig Levein Scottish Cup Fifth round | Scottish Premier League 5th League Cup Semi-finals | |
 | ||
Chairman Eddie Thompson (to 15 October 2008)
Stephen Thompson (from 21 November 2008) Top goalscorer League:
Francisco Sandaza (10)
All:
Francisco Sandaza (10) | ||
The 2008–09 season covers the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 and is the club's one hundredth season, having been founded as Dundee Hibernian in 1909.
Contents
Review and events
The pre-season period began with a number of new signings at the club. Dundee midfielder Scott Robertson was one of three players to agree pre-contract deals in June and he was followed by fellow player Paul Dixon shortly afterwards. Willo Flood returned on a second successive season-long loan and fellow Cardiff City player Warren Feeney followed on a similar deal, with Spanish striker Francisco Sandaza and Irish forward Roy O'Donovan (loan) the final signings.
A number of players who were out of contract left the club following the end of the 2007–08 season, including Christian Kalvenes who moved to Burnley, and Mark Kerr, who followed Lee Mair, Stuart Duff and Lee Miller in recent years by signing for New Firm rivals Aberdeen. Last season's top scorer Noel Hunt left in July to join his brother Stephen at English side Reading.
Chairman Eddie Thompson lost his battle with prostate cancer and died in the early hours of 15 October.
Chronological list of events
This is a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2008–09 season, presented in chronological order. This list does not include transfers, which are listed in the transfers section below, or match results, which are in the results section.
Match results
Dundee United have played a total of 44 competitive matches during the 2008–09 season, as well as six first team pre-season friendlies. The team finished fifth in the Scottish Premier League.
In the cup competitions, United lost to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final, while they were beaten by Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Cup fifth round.
Friendlies
The club began pre-season by winning the Keyline Cup in Oban on 12 July before embarking on a short trip to Dublin where they played two friendlies against local sides. Upon returning to Scotland, United beat Raith Rovers 4-0 and fellow Fife side Dunfermline Athletic 3-2 before a match against Barcelona for the second year running. The friendlies culminated in a win at Plymouth Argyle where United faced former Terror Paul Sturrock. United also sent sides to play in victories against Cowdenbeath, Arbroath, Forres Mechanics, Dundee North End and Blairgowrie. A final friendly was planned against Lochee United but was postponed due to heavy rain. In April, the club racked up an 8-0 win at Brora Rangers to mark the opening of the ground's new floodlights, with Andis Shala scoring a hat-trick.
Scottish Premier League
United began the season with a televised match away to promoted Hamilton Academical, which – despite taking the lead – they lost 3–1. Subsequent 1–1 draws at home to Celtic – another televised match in which Francisco Sandaza scored his first goal – and away to Motherwell produced the first points of the season but a home defeat to Kilmarnock and narrow defeat away to Hibernian left United bottom of the league after five matches. United's third televised match of the season saw them pick up their first league win at Aberdeen and was the first of four successive league victories, preceding home triumphs against Hearts, Inverness CT and St Mirren. The run of victories saw first league goals for summer signings Scott Robertson and Roy O'Donovan, with three clean sheets for goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska. The St Mirren match was played three weeks after the Inverness match following the death of chairman Eddie Thompson, which led to the match against Rangers being postponed. As the St Mirren match was the first match following the death of the chairman, prices were reduced to just £5, prompting over 11,000 fans to attend and pay their respects with a minute's silence. United failed to make it five league wins in a row when they drew 0–0 at Falkirk but kept their unbeaten run going with an exciting 3–3 draw against Rangers at Ibrox and got back to winning ways with home wins over Aberdeen and Hibernian. A second successive 2–0 defeat to Kilmarnock – this time away from home – preceded a 1–1 draw at home to Hamilton, before wins at St Mirren and Inverness brought United back-to-back away victories for the first time since April 2007. United were involved in another high scoring match against Rangers in a 2-2 draw at Tannadice and followed it up by holding Hearts to a 0-0 draw at Tynecastle, closing 2008 with a home win against Falkirk.