The 2009–10 season covers the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 and was the club's 101st season, having been founded as Dundee Hibernian in 1909.
This is a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2009–10 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.
8 January: The deal to bring Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon to Tannadice falls through after both clubs failed to agree on a compensation deal.
28 January: Peter Houston is confirmed as the club's manager until the end of the season.
28 January:Jon Daly scores the club's 5,000th league goal with a penalty in the 4–4 draw at Kilmarnock.[6]
15 May: Dundee United F.C. win the Scottish Cup for only the second time. Goodwillie scored the first from 25 yards and Craig Conway scored a double. United won 3–0 against Ross County.
Match Results
Dundee United have played twelve competitive matches during the 2009–10 season.[7]
Friendlies
The club failed to retain the Keyline Cup they won last year by finishing third in the six-team tournament when they visited Oban in mid July. A series of domestic friendly matches sandwiched a trip to the Republic of Ireland before the club's centenary friendly draw at home to Newcastle United. A friendly win at home to FA Premier League side Blackburn Rovers was the club's last pre-season encounter, although in late July, the club confirmed a November friendly with rivals Dundee to mark the opening of the club's new floodlights. United ran out 3-1 winners with goals from Andis Shala, Danny Cadamarteri and Jon Daly.
The 2009–10 Scottish Premier League season began on Saturday 15 August 2009 with United featuring in the first live SPL match on ESPN two days later, beating Heart of Midlothian. United failed to make it two wins from the opening two matches – last achieved in the 1992-93 season – when they were held to a goalless draw at St Mirren, although they followed up with a 2–1 win at home to Falkirk a week later. The first weekend in September saw an international break with United coming close to ending their seventeen-year wait for a victory at Celtic Park, drawing 1-1. The following week, United's unbeaten start to the season ended when Motherwell won 1–0 at Tannadice, although United responded with an away win against St Johnstone. Successive draws against Hibernian and Hamilton Academical followed before United won the first New Firm derby of the season. At the start of November, United's televised match at home to Rangers was abandoned at half-time due to torrential rain, with Rangers leading 1–0. In United's next match, two Damian Casalinuovo goals saw off Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, for the club's second successive away win; on 22 November, at the 39th time of asking, United finally defeated Celtic in a league match, winning 2–1. United continued their unbeaten run with a hard-fought 2–2 draw away to Motherwell, despite having two players sent off, and followed up with a home win against St Mirren. A 0–0 draw at Hearts preceded a defeat at home to Rangers, in what turned out to be Craig Levein's final match, before another 0–0 draw at home to Kilmarnock. United finally scored in the following match but incredibly lost 7–1 at Rangers, with Kris Boyd scoring a quintuple against United for the second time in his career. A further defeat to Aberdeen followed before a three-game winning streak against Hamilton, Hibernian and Falkirk. St Johnstone were the visitors to Tannadice in a 3–3 draw to close out January. United started February with a pulsating 4–4 draw at Kilmarnock, before a shock defeat at home to Hamilton. A further defeat at Celtic Park followed before a Morgaro Gomis double helped United to three points at home to basement club Falkirk.
Dundee United joined the League Cup 2009-10 campaign in the second round where they beat Alloa Athletic. United won at Ross County in the third round to progress to the quarter-finals, where they were handed a third successive away tie, losing to fellow SPL side St Johnstone.
Dundee United played Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup Fourth Round on Saturday 9 January 2010, winning 2–0. The fifth round draw gave United another away tie – against St Johnstone – for five consecutive cup ties this season. United gained revenge for the McDiarmid Park defeat in the League Cup, winning 1-0 before being drawn away again, this time to Rangers. After forcing a replay at Tannadice, they saw off Raith Rovers to proceed to the final at Hampden. A pair of goals from Craig Conway in the final against Ross County ensured Dundee United's first Scottish Cup title since 1994. The Ross County game had the most Arabs ever at one match.
During the 2009–10 season, United have used 29 different players on the pitch. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[8]
The jerseys were sponsored for a second season by JD Sports' Carbrini Sportswear label,[14][15] with the firm also sponsoring the shorts. Nike began their four-year deal of kit production with the club's centenary home strip unveiled in mid-June,[16] with the away strip to follow on 24 July. Dundee-based cosmetic car repair specialists Dents8 began a two-year sponsorship of the home and away shorts and the first team's socks.[17]
The club has a third strip, a centenary strip, to mark the club's foundation in 1909. Previously, the last third strip used was in the 2002–03 season. The strip was used in the November 2009 friendly against Dundee but remains unused in competitive competition.
