| Club: | Dundee |
| League: | Premier Division |
| League Result: | 6th |
| Pattern Sh1: | _red_stripes |
| Rightarm1: | 000040 |
| Leftarm1: | 000040 |
| Body1: | 000040 |
| Cup1 Result: | Quarter-finals |
| Pattern B1: | _dfc1985 |
| Season: | 1985–86 |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| League Topscorer: | Ray Stephen (14) |
| Season Topscorer: | Ray Stephen (18) |
| Nextseason: | 1986–87 |
| Pattern La1: | _dfc1983 |
| Prevseason: | 1984–85 |
| Cup1: | Scottish Cup |
| Pattern So1: | _dfc1983 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _dfc1983 |
| Shorts1: | FFFFFF |
| Socks1: | FF0000 |
| Cup2 Result: | 3rd round |
| Manager: | Archie Knox |
The 1985–86 season was the 84th season in which Dundee competed at a Scottish national level, playing in the Scottish Premier Division.[1] [2] Dundee would finish in 6th place for the second consecutive season. Dundee would also compete in both the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup, where they were knocked out of the League Cup by Hamilton Academical in the 3rd round, and were defeated by Aberdeen in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.
During this season, the club would incorporate a single stripe onto their classic navy shirts, diagonally split displaying red and white.[3] This season would be most memorable for Dundee's final game of the league season, where a late double from substitute Albert Kidd would help Dundee defeat Heart of Midlothian, inadvertently ending their title hopes and allowing Celtic to win instead, resulting in Kidd becoming a cult figure for the Celtic fanbase, as well as for those of Hibernian faith.[4] [5]
See main article: article and 1985–86 Scottish Premier Division. Statistics provided by Dee Archive.
| Match Day | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Dundee Scorer(s) | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 August | St Mirren | H | 2–1 | Connor (2) (pen.) | 6,474 | |
| 2 | 17 August | Clydebank | A | 0–4 | 2,500 | ||
| 3 | 24 August | Dundee United | A | 0–2 | 13,736 | ||
| 4 | 31 August | Aberdeen | H | 1–3 | Black | 7,592 | |
| 5 | 7 September | Motherwell | A | 3–1 | McCormack, Brown, Harvey | 2,607 | |
| 6 | 14 September | Hibernian | H | 1–0 | Brown | 5,410 | |
| 7 | 21 September | Rangers | A | 1–0 | Rafferty | 23,600 | |
| 8 | 28 September | Celtic | H | 0–2 | 15,387 | ||
| 9 | 5 October | Heart of Midlothian | A | 1–1 | McWilliams | 8,512 | |
| 10 | 12 October | St Mirren | A | 0–1 | 4,250 | ||
| 11 | 19 October | Clydebank | H | 2–0 | Stephen (2) | 4,160 | |
| 12 | 26 October | Motherwell | H | 3–1 | Harvey, Stephen, McCormack | 4,628 | |
| 13 | 2 November | Hibernian | A | 1–2 | Glennie | 6,474 | |
| 14 | 9 November | Aberdeen | A | 1–4 | Stephen | 12,800 | |
| 15 | 16 November | Dundee United | H | 0–3 | 11,736 | ||
| 16 | 23 November | Rangers | H | 3–2 | Brown (3) (pen.) | 10,798 | |
| 17 | 7 December | Heart of Midlothian | H | 1–1 | Brown | 10,780 | |
| 18 | 14 December | St Mirren | H | 3–1 | Brown, Harvey, Stephen | 4,290 | |
| 19 | 23 December | Clydebank | A | 0–0 | 1,350 | ||
| 20 | 28 December | Dundee United | A | 0–0 | 14,869 | ||
| 21 | 1 January | Aberdeen | H | 0–0 | 9,096 | ||
| 22 | 4 January | Rangers | A | 0–5 | 13,954 | ||
| 23 | 11 January | Hibernian | H | 3–1 | Brown (pen.), Stephen (2) | 5,073 | |
| 24 | 18 January | Motherwell | A | 2–2 | Rafferty, Brown (pen.) | 2,204 | |
| 25 | 1 February | Celtic | H | 1–3 | Stephen (pen.) | 12,295 | |
| 26 | 8 February | Heart of Midlothian | A | 1–3 | Mennie | 15,365 | |
| 27 | 22 February | St Mirren | A | 2–1 | Stephen (2) | 3,123 | |
| 28 | 1 March | Clydebank | H | 4–0 | Harvey, Stephen (3) | 4,033 | |
| 29 | 15 March | Rangers | H | 2–1 | Brown (pen.), Harvey | 10,965 | |
| 30 | 22 March | Aberdeen | A | 0–0 | 13,013 | ||
| 31 | 29 March | Dundee United | H | 0–1 | 15,079 | ||
| 32 | 2 April | Celtic | A | 1–2 | Stephen | 12,506 | |
| 33 | 12 April | Hibernian | A | 0–1 | 4,477 | ||
| 34 | 19 April | Motherwell | H | 4–0 | Forsyth, Glennie, Rafferty | 3,745 | |
| 35 | 26 April | Celtic | H | 0–2 | 13,521 | ||
| 36 | 11 May | Heart of Midlothian | H | 2–0 | Kidd (2) | 19,567 |
See main article: article and 1985–86 Scottish League Cup. Statistics provided by Dee Archive.
| Match Day | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Dundee Scorer(s) | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd round | 21 August | Stranraer | A | 3–2 | Smith, Stephen (2) | 1,554 | |
| 3rd round | 28 August | Hamilton Academical | A | 1–2 (A.E.T.) | Kidd | 2,234 |
See main article: article and 1985–86 Scottish Cup. Statistics provided by Dee Archive.
| Match Day | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Dundee Scorer(s) | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd round | 25 January | Nairn County | A | 7–0 | Rafferty, Shannon (2), Harvey (3), Hendry | 3,600 | |
| 4th round | 19 February | Airdrieonians | H | 2–0 | Stephen, Mennie | 4,010 | |
| Quarter-finals | 8 March | Aberdeen | H | 2–2 | Brown, Harvey | 13,188 | |
| QF replay | 12 March | Aberdeen | A | 1–2 (A.E.T.) | Stephen | 21,000 |
Statistics provided by Dee Archive|}