Pat Liney Obituary

Dundee are mourning the death of league title-winning goalkeeper Pat Liney, who has died at the age of 86.

A statement from the club eulogizing Liney read;

Pat Liney is not only a Dundee FC goalkeeping great but also a bona fide Dark Blue legend, a Scottish League title winner, Club President, a DFC Hall of Fame inductee, a great singer and an absolute gentleman.

Liney signed for Dundee in 1957 from Dalry Thistle after catching the Dark Blues’ attention by saving five penalties in a cup tie and altogether made 121 appearances for The Dee before finally getting his chance to join St Mirren early in 1964.

Liney will most likely be remembered by Dundee’s supporters for a crucial penalty save in the penultimate game of the season at home to St Mirren.

Going into the match Dundee were still a point behind leaders Rangers but by half time Dundee were one up thanks to an Alan Cousin strike and Rangers were losing 1-0 at Pittodrie.

With 12 minutes left however, disaster struck when the referee awarded St. Mirren a penalty after an alleged handball from Gordon Smith and it looked like Dundee’s chances of winning the League Flag were about to vanish into thin air.

However, earlier, in the season, Dundee been knocked out the Scottish Cup by eventual runners-up St Mirren and in the build up to the game Pat’s father, himself a Buddies supporter, gave him some advice that would prove crucial a few months later.

Liney’s dad told him that if St Mirren got a penalty, Jim Clunie takes them and always hammers it towards the top right hand corner.

And so when a nervous looking Clunie stepped up to take the kick, he did exactly what Pat’s father had predicted and hit it towards the top right corner, only to see Liney Jnr. twist in mid air and parry the ball to safety before collecting it.

Pat then threw the ball out to Gordon Smith on the wing and Smith then went down the wing beating two players, before looking up to see there was no one there, as the forwards were still patting Liney on the back.

Smith then brought the ball back to the halfway line still beating men until the forwards could get back up field, which Pat described as, “an amazing sight and something only Gordon Smith could have done like that.”

Dundee scored a crucial second minutes later and when news filtered through that The Dons had held on to beat Rangers at Pittodrie, Dundee were now in pole position, needing a victory in their final game at Muirton to win the League.

Dundee went on to clinch the league the following Saturday with a 3-0 win at St Johnstone and they did so by recording a then club record 19 game unbeaten run earlier in the season.

Pat Liney honors at Dundee;

Scottish League Champions:  1961/62
Dundee FC Hall of Fame: 2011 Legends Award

Appearances:

League: 102
Scottish Cup: 3
League Cup: 16
Other: 5

Total: 126