This Saturday’s match against Dumbarton is unique in the history of Dundee Football Club as it is the first time that the Dark Blues are able to win both the League title and promotion at the same time at Dens. On the previous occasions when Dundee have won the second tier title, promotion had already been secured but this weekend’s game is absolutely huge as Dundee can clinch both promotion and the Championship trophy in front of their home fans.
The first time Dundee won a league title at Dens was in season 1917/18 when the Dark Blues clinched the Scottish League Eastern Division in a dramatic last day shoot out. At the end of the previous campaign Dundee, Aberdeen and Raith Rovers were asked to withdraw from the Scottish League Division One to minimise the travelling of their predominately West of Scotland opponents during wartime and a new Eastern Division was therefore set up. Division Two had already been abandoned in 1915 and the Dark Blues were joined in the new league by Armadale, Cowdenbeath, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline, East Fife and local rivals Dundee Hibernian.
Going into the last game of the season against Cowdenbeath at Dens on April 6th, Dundee were in second place, two points behind the Central Park side who therefore only needed a draw to clinch the title. Dundee however won 2-0 thanks to a brace from Tommy Taylor (who scored 28 goals that season) and The Dee snatched their first ever league championship on goal average.
By then the Great War was in its fourth and final year and football was now almost insignificant. Very little newspaper space was devoted to the reporting of football and match reports now included the players’ military ranks and only 2500 spectators were at Dens to see Dundee win the first league title in their twenty-five year history