| Club: | Dundee United |
| Season: | 1978–79 |
| Manager: | Jim McLean |
| League: | Scottish Premier Division |
| League Result: | 3rd (UEFA Cup) W12 D13 L11 F43 A30 P37 |
| Cup1: | Scottish Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | 3rd Round |
| Cup2 Result: | 2nd Round |
| Cup3 Result: | 1st Round |
| Prevseason: | 1977–78 |
| Nextseason: | 1979–80 |
The 1978–79 season was the 70th year of football played by Dundee United, and covers the period from 1 July 1978 to 30 June 1979. United finished in third place, securing UEFA Cup football for the following season.
Dundee United played a total of 41 competitive matches during the 1978–79 season.[1]
| Win | |
| Draw | |
| Loss |
All results are written with Dundee United's score first.Own goals in italics
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 August 1978 | Hibernian | H | 0–0 | 5,876 | ||
| 19 August 1978 | Partick Thistle | A | 1–1 | 3,752 | Frye | |
| 26 August 1978 | Aberdeen | H | 1–1 | 10,092 | Hegarty | |
| 9 September 1978 | Greenock Morton | H | 1–2 | 5,531 | Hegarty | |
| 16 September 1978 | Motherwell | A | 1–0 | 3,372 | Dodds | |
| 23 September 1978 | St Mirren | A | 3–1 | 7,544 | Dodds, Narey, Kirkwood | |
| 30 September 1978 | Heart of Midlothain | A | 3–1 | 6,312 | Kirkwood (2), Kopel | |
| 7 October 1978 | Rangers | A | 1–1 | 26,040 | Kirkwood | |
| 14 October 1978 | Celtic | H | 1–0 | 17,726 | Kopel | |
| 21 October 1978 | Hibernian | A | 1–1 | 8,290 | Payne | |
| 28 October 1978 | Partick Thistle | H | 2–0 | 6,055 | ||
| 4 November 1978 | Aberdeen | A | 0–1 | 14,692 | ||
| 11 November 1978 | Greenock Morton | A | 1–3 | 6,298 | Addison | |
| 18 November 1978 | Motherwell | H | 2–1 | 5,876 | Stewart, Kirkwood | |
| 25 November 1978 | St Mirren | H | 1–1 | 6,896 | Kirkwood | |
| 9 December 1978 | Rangers | H | 3–0 | 15,247 | Dodds, Fleming, Narey (penalty) | |
| 16 December 1978 | Celtic | A | 1–1 | 19,868 | Narey | |
| 23 December 1978 | Hibernian | H | 2–1 | 7,194 | ||
| 20 January 1979 | St Mirren | A | 1–2 | 6,341 | Sturrock | |
| 10 February 1979 | Rangers | A | 0–1 | 26,077 | ||
| 3 March 1979 | Hibernian | A | 0–1 | 5,045 | ||
| 7 March 1979 | Motherwell | A | 4–0 | 2,643 | Sturrock (2), Narey, Stewart (penalty) | |
| 10 March 1979 | Greenock Morton | H | 4–1 | 6,033 | Sturrock (2), Stark, Kirkwood | |
| 14 March 1979 | Partick Thistle | H | 2–1 | 6,201 | Holt, Hegarty | |
| 17 March 1979 | Aberdeen | A | 2–0 | 11,181 | Sturrock, Fleming | |
| 24 March 1979 | Greenock Morton | A | 1–3 | 5,357 | Dodds | |
| 28 March 1979 | Partick Thistle | A | 2–1 | 3,123 | Kirkwood, Fleming | |
| 31 March 1979 | Motherwell | H | 2–1 | 5,675 | Addison | |
| 4 April 1979 | Heart of Midlothian | A | 0–2 | 6,480 | ||
| 7 April 1979 | St Mirren | H | 2–0 | 6,608 | Hegarty, Kirkwood | |
| 11 April 1979 | Celtic | H | 2–1 | 14,424 | Holt, Dodds | |
| 14 April 1979 | Heart of Midlothian | A | 3–0 | 7,564 | Dodds (2), Kirkwood | |
| 21 April 1979 | Rangers | H | 1–2 | 24,264 | Stewart (penalty) | |
| 25 April 1979 | Heart of Midlothian | H | 2–1 | 6,005 | Dodds, Kirkwood | |
| 28 April 1979 | Celtic | A | 1–2 | 35,807 | Dodds | |
| 5 May 1979 | Aberdeen | H | 2–2 | 7,822 | Payne, Stewart |
| Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 August 1978 | R2 1 | Celtic | H | 2–3 | 2,570 | Fleming, Sturrock | |
| 2 September 1978 | R2 2 | Celtic | A | 0–1 | 5,760 |
| Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 September 1978 | R1 1 |  Standard Liège | A | 0–1 | 12,282 | ||
| 27 September 1978 | R1 2 | Standard Liège | H | 0–0 | 25,000 |