 A mosaic tribute to the cup victory withinMotherwell Shopping Centre | |||||||
| Event | 1990–91 Scottish Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| (after extra time) | |||||||
| Date | 18 May 1991 | ||||||
| Venue | Hampden Park,Glasgow | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Dave Bowman | ||||||
| Referee | David Syme | ||||||
| Attendance | 57,319 | ||||||
←1990 1992 → | |||||||
The1991 Scottish Cup Final was the 106th final of theScottish Cup,Scottish football's most prestigious knockoutassociation football competition. The match took place atHampden Park on 18 May 1991 and was contested byScottish Premier Division clubsMotherwell andDundee United. It was both Motherwell's and Dundee United's 6thScottish Cup Final and also the first time the clubs had met in a Scottish Cup Final. The match was dubbed the "family final", as the manager of both clubs were brothers,Tommy McLean andJim McLean.[1]
AsScottish Premier Division clubs, Motherwell and United both entered the competition in the third round. Neither club won all four of their ties at the first attempt, Dundee United requiring a replay to knock out Division Two clubEast Fife in the third round. United went on to defeat Division One clubsAirdrieonians andarchrivalsDundee before eliminatingTayside derby rivalsSt Johnstone in the semi-finals. After winning against defending championsAberdeen in the third round, Motherwell defeated Division One clubsFalkirk andGreenock Morton then the previous seasons runners-up,Celtic, in a replayed semi-final.
The match was both clubs' 6th appearance in the final. However, it was Motherwell's first appearance in 39 years whilst Dundee United had reached the final only three seasons beforehand. Motherwell had previously won only one final whilst Dundee United had lost on all previous final appearances.
Motherwell won the match 4–3 after extra time was played.[2] They took the lead whenIain Ferguson headed in just after 30 minutes had been played. In the second half, Dundee United equalized throughDave Bowman. Motherwell went back in front thanks to 18-year-oldPhil O'Donnell and their lead was then extended to 3-1 byIan Angus. However, two goals from United, one fromJohn O'Neil and a last minute equaliser fromDarren Jackson made the score 3–3, forcing the match into extra-time. SubstituteStevie Kirk scored a header in the first half of extra-time to conclude victory for Motherwell.[3]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Third round | Aberdeen | 1–0 |
| Fourth round | Falkirk | 4–2 |
| Quarter-final | Greenock Morton | 0–0 |
| Quarter-final replay | Greenock Morton | 1–1 (5–4pens.) |
| Semi-final | Celtic | 0–0 |
| Semi-final replay | Celtic | 4–2 |
As aScottish Premier Division club, Motherwell entered the competition in the third round. They were drawn against fellow Premier Division clubAberdeen who were also defending champions having won the1990 Scottish Cup Final. The match was played at Aberdeen's home ofPittodrie Stadium with Motherwell winning 1–0. The fourth round draw paired the club with Division One clubFalkirk resulting in a 4–2 win atFir Park to progress to the quarter-finals. Another Division One club in the form ofGreenock Morton was the club's opponent, with the two clubs playing out a 0–0 draw to force a replay atCappielow. The replay ended in another draw at 1–1 and the game progressed to apenalty shootout with Motherwell winning 5–4. In the semi-finals Motherwell faced the previous season's runners-up,Celtic, atHampden Park with the game ending in another 0–0 draw for the club. A week later in the replay, Motherwell triumphed in a 4–2 victory to progress to the Scottish Cup Final for the first time in 39 years since defeatingDundee in the1952 Final.
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Third round | East Fife | 1–1 |
| Third round replay | East Fife | 2–1 |
| Fourth round | Airdrieonians | 2–0 |
| Quarter-final | Dundee | 3–1 |
| Semi-final | St Johnstone | 2–1 |
Dundee United, also a Premier Division club entered the competition in the third round. They were drawn against Division Two clubEast Fife who had progressed from the first round. The clubs played out a 1–1 draw atBayview Park to force a replay atTannadice Park. In the replayed match United emerged victorious in a 2–1 win. The fourth round draw sawAirdrieonians visit Tannadice, with the club losing 2–0. In the quarter-finals, United were drawn against archrivalsDundee to set up aDundee derby match at home. United won the tie 3–1 to progress to the semi-finals where they faced other rivalsSt Johnstone from nearbyPerth in aTayside derby. Dundee United won the match 2–1 and booked a place in the final for the fifth time in the past ten years following appearances in the1981,1985,1987 and1988 finals.
The match had been dubbed the "Family Final" by the media as the two opposing managers were brothers,Tommy McLean atMotherwell andJim McLean atDundee United.
Dundee United dominated the opening stages of the match, withHamish French having the ball in the net after only two minutes but had his goal disallowed for off-side, whilstFreddy van der Hoorn on seven minutes hit the inside of the post from 25 yards out, only to see the ball roll out for a goal kick. Motherwell began to settle, however, before the game then went in to something of a lull. The opening goal came on 32 minutes when Motherwell'sIain Ferguson headed the ball into the top corner pastAlan Main. Dundee United'sJim McInally came close to equalising with a shot near the end of the first half, but Motherwell held on to their lead for half-time.
Early in the second half, Motherwell goalkeeperAlly Maxwell was badly injured as a result of a challenge with United'sJohn Clark. He was able to carry on after receiving treatment, but was in clear discomfort. Dundee United equalised on 55 minutes whenDave Bowman struck a 25-yard shot past the struggling Maxwell. Motherwell retook the lead a mere three minutes later when aDavie Cooper free-kick was flicked on by John Clark and headed past Alan Main byPhil O'Donnell.The Steelmen further extended their lead on 65 minutes when anIan Angus shot from the edge of the penalty box flew into the top corner of the goal.
Despite now being 3–1 down, Dundee United rallied and quickly pulled a goal back;John O'Neil heading in a Dave Bowman cross from the right. It was O'Neil's first competitive goal for United. Dundee United laid siege to the Motherwell goal for the rest of the second half, but Motherwell looked like holding on until in the last minute Darren Jackson equalised. In the final moments of the second half, Maurice Malpas had a chance to win it for United, but his shot was off-target.
The final now went in to extra time. Four minutes in, Motherwell substitute Steve Kirk headed in at the back post to put Motherwell 4–3 ahead. Dundee United pushed on again in another effort to draw level, and near the end Maurice Malpas was denied a goal by a flying save from Maxwell. Shortly after that, John Clark shot past.[4]
This time, however, Motherwell held on to full-time to win the cup, condemning Dundee United to their sixth Scottish Cup Final defeat in 17 years.
| Motherwell | 4 – 3 | Dundee United |
|---|---|---|
Ferguson 32'O'Donnell 58'Angus 65'Kirk 94' | Report | Bowman 55' O'Neil 67'Jackson 90' |
         Motherwell |    Dundee United |
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