A bit of restoration to the main stand, some repairs, a few licks of paint, and a wee bit of ground work, all going towards making sure everything is shipshape for the 1989/90 season to commence.
Party time!!
It's the final whistle and we're Scottish champions!!
Dundee supporters run onto the pitch to celebrate. I think this may be for the 3rd goal rather than full time.
Not 100% sure who this mystery keeper is, all alone in the Dens sunset.
Allan and Wilson appear to be having an argument as Gemmell goes over to try calm things down. Fighting amongst themselves being a bit of a tell-tale sign that things aren't going well in the Dee camp, and in this case Dundee were struggling to stay in the newly formed SPL in 1976.
Meanwhile, down at the TC Keay end, the other Stand starts to take shape.
Got a batch of photos showing the new Stands at Dens being constructed around the new millennium. Here we see the flattened area where the old Provie Road enclosure was, and it's replacement being pieced together.
Back in the days before undersoil heating, in order to protect the playing surface from frost, they used to cover the pitch in straw. Come match day, all the straw would then be raked to the side of the pitch, as in the above photo.
This diagram of Dens Park goes back to the old ground design, around 1998/99, when we were still in the SPL.
This is an artists impression of how the present Stadium was originally supposed to end up like. The Dens Road enclosure was to include a gymnasium plus a few other features, but lack of funds didn't allow for the 3rd and final stage to be built. Maybe one day, although I couldn't help notice there is no television gantry in the design. Tut, tut!
A rare and ancient action picture from Dens Park taken in 1903. This was when the Dee played in an all dark blue strip. The North Stand was extended a few years later then eventually replaced with the present Stand in 1921.
This is how Dens Park looked in the 1998/99 season. A final glimpse at the old layout before it became the Stadium it is today.
A wee seasonal graphic if anybody wants to download it. Click on the image to get the large version.
I don't know what all the fuss is about with frozen pitches. When Dundee's undersoil heating failed a few years ago, they just got on with it!
This aerial shot of Dens Park was taken in 1988. It shows the bench seating in place around the Provost Rd - Dens Rd section.
On a snowy December in 1976, Dundee FC had a Gala Day at Dens Park. There were stalls laid out selling various goods, the fans could meet the players, and there was music and other entertainment on throughout the day. Because it had snowed the night before, the pitch was cleared so that a charity game could take place, with the snow being swept to the side of the pitch. In amongst the entertainment taking place on the day was a scheduled appearance of the Batmobile, and sure enough, in through the Tannadice Street gate at the side of the Stand came the Batmobile, with Batman & Robin waving to the crowd from inside the car. The car drove around the track at the side of the pitch then stopped in front of the Stand. Out popped the Dynamic Duo to pose beside the Batmobile and greet the crowd. Bad move!! While they were posing and waving, a group of kids ran over to the snow that was piled up at the side of the pitch and started chucking snowballs at them. They were absolutely pelted! Next thing was the hilarious sight of the Caped Crusaders scarpering back into the Batmobile for protection then screeching off back out of Dens. You could almost see the words POW - SPLAT - THUD pop up as Dundee's bairns chased the crimefighters back to Gotham City!!
A great shot from in the crowd looking across at the Provie Road end.
