On Saturday 15 May 2010, Dundee United lifted their second Scottish Cup with a comfortable victory over Ross County. As we approach the 10 year anniversary, I take a look at where the Tangerine heroes from that 3-0 win are now.
Starting XI
Dušan Perniš
United’s number one that day was Slovakian keeper Perniš, having only joined in the January before the final. He spent another two seasons at Tannadice before joining Pogon Szczecin in Poland. He then had spells in Greece as well as his home country and is currently in the Bulgarian top flight with PFC Beroe Stara Zagora.
Mihael Kovacevic
Kovacevic played a big part in the cup that season, scoring the equaliser in the 3-3 quarter-final draw against Rangers at Ibrox. He was one of the players that stayed with the club after the final, eventually being released in 2011 after struggling with injury. He was back in Scotland a year later after a short spell with NK Zadar in Croatia, joining Ross County. Like Perniš, the full-back also spent some time with Beroe before moving onto Hungarian side Nyíregyháza. Short spells at BSC Old Boys and FC Black Stars in Switzerland followed before he retired in 2017.
Andy Webster
He may have only been on loan from Rangers but Andy Webster will always be fondly remembered by the United faithful as one of just two captains to lift the national trophy in a tangerine shirt. Due to the conditions of that loan deal, Webster missed both games against the Gers in the cup run but he certainly made his mark, his header making it 2-0 in the semi-final against Raith Rovers. The centre-half returned to Ibrox but couldn’t break into the first team there and eventually re-joined Hearts in 2011. After two years at Tynecastle, he spent a further two years at Coventry City before returning to Scotland where he finished his career at St Mirren. He is currently a coach at the Paisley side’s academy.
Garry Kenneth
A United fan and academy graduate, the cup win clearly meant a lot to Kenneth but unfortunately for him, his career hit a downward spiral following his departure from Tannadice at the end of the 2011/12 season. He moved to Bristol Rovers where things started well enough, but after struggling with injuries he left in December 2013. A short spell at Brechin City was next before he moved onto local side Carnoustie Panmure in the juniors. He then featured for Australian cracks Adamstown Rosebud and Skonto Riga in Latvia before returning to the juniors with Forfar Albion. Selkirk and Broughty Athletic were next for Kenneth with the 32-year old currently at Lochee United.
Sean Dillon
Irishman Dillon was the last of the squad to leave United, departing in 2017 after over 10 years and a testimonial against Hearts. He moved on to Montrose where he remains today, playing part-time. As well as playing for the Gable Endies, he is a head coach at the Skilz Football Academy, has a UEFA A coaching license and is an ambassador for The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews.
Danny Swanson
One of the main creative sparks in the squad, Swanson was well-loved at Tannadice and it was clear to see why. He stayed in Dundee for two more seasons after the final before moving to England where he played with both Peterborough United and Coventry City. While at the Sky Blues, Swanson was sent out on loan to St Johnstone and it wasn’t long before he was back in Scotland permanently, joining Hearts for the beginning of the 2015/16 season. He joined the Perth Saints again halfway through the season after just eight games in maroon but after 18-months there he was back in the capital, but this time on the green side, with the winger spending just over a year at Hibs before moving to McDiarmid Park for a third time where he still is today.
Prince Buaben
A youth player with Ajax, Buaben joined United in 2007 after being forced to leave the Dutch giants due to not being able to gain a permit. He soon made an impact and was a vital part of the United team in 2010, forming a formidable duo in the middle of the park with Morgaro Gomis. The following summer he left Tannadice to join Watford in the English Championship where he spent two seasons before moving onto Carlisle. A loan spell back in Scotland with Partick Thistle was followed by a move to Hearts where he spent four years. Buaben was most recently one of a number of ex-United players at Falkirk and is currently without a club after being released.
Morgaro Gomis
The second African in that United side was Morgaro ‘Jimmy’ Gomis, with the Senegalese midfielder another major cog in that cup winning side. Following his departure he moved south to Birmingham City, spending two years in the Midlands before he returned to Tannadice in 2013. He struggled to break into the midfield pairing of John Rankin and Paul Paton and was released at the end of the season, joining current Terrors’ boss Robbie Neilson at Hearts. He spent time in the 2015/16 season on loan at Motherwell before playing in Malaysia and Oman for Kelantan and Sur SC respectively. Jimmy then had a third spell at Tannadice in 2019 and now plays for Falkirk in Scottish League One.
Craig Conway
Winger Conway will always be remembered at Tannadice for his two goals in the final and as a Dundee United legend. He remained at the club until the following summer when he left to join Cardiff City. In his time there, he also had a loan spell with Brighton and Hove Albion before moving onto Blackburn Rovers in 2014. Ewood Park is where he spent the bulk of his career, becoming a fans favourite at the club before his departure in 2019. He is now playing with Salford City in League Two.
Jon Daly
Daly scored 58 goals in 167 games for United in his six years at the club before leaving in 2013. He then moved on to Rangers before ending his playing career at Raith Rovers. He took charge of the Hearts under-20s in January 2016, also having two spells as interim boss of the first team, with Andy Kirk after Robbie Neilson departed and then again in August 2017 following the dismissal of Ian Cathro. The Irishman left Tynecastle in January this year and is currently without a job.
David Goodwillie
Scorer of the opening goal at Hampden, David Goodwillie was much loved at Tannadice and got his big move in 2011, joining Blackburn Rovers. In his time there he had disappointing loan spells at Crystal Palace and Blackpool, as well as back with United, before moving to Aberdeen in 2014. He featured on loan for Ross County in 2016 before moving back to England and Plymouth Argyle in the June of that year. While there however, he attracted attention for the wrong reasons after him and teammate David Robertson were accused of rape. He requested to leave the club as he was considering an appeal. Upon his return to Scotland, he played a handful of games for Doune Castle in the Caledonian Amateur League before he was signed by Clyde in Scottish League Two. Despite reservations from some people about the move, he has flourished at Broadwood, winning a number of awards as well as becoming one of the top 10 scorers in Clyde’s history. He remains with the club where he is the captain.
Substitutes
Keith Watson
Watson may only have played seven minutes in the final, after replacing Kovacevic, but he is another player that was a good servant for the Tangerines. After a loan spell with Hibs in 2015, Watson was released at the end of that season, going on to join St Mirren. He then played for St Johnstone and Hartlepool United and is now with Ross County.
Scott Robertson
Robertson is another player who peaked while at Tannadice, earning two Scotland call ups in that time as well as playing 16 minutes in the final, before leaving to join Blackpool in 2012. After a disappointing spell there, he returned to Scotland where he played with Hibs. He then became the first Scot to play in Romania when he joined Botosani. It wasn’t long before he was back home again and playing for Raith Rovers. The midfielder announced his retirement and became an academy coach at United, but the arrival of the Ogren’s saw Robertson return to playing with Brechin and he is now at Forfar Athletic.
David Robertson
Replacing Goodwillie for the last 12 minutes of the final, Robertson is best remembered for his late winner in the quarter-final replay against Rangers, with the ball finding the net via his backside. Following his departure in 2011, Robertson featured for St Johnstone, Morton, Livingston, Ayr United, Selkirk and Cowdenbeath before retiring in 2017 after the rape claims against himself and Goodwillie.
Steve Banks
Goalkeeper Banks has won the Scottish Cup three times, but was an unused sub in all three games, including the 2010 final. He moved to St Johnstone after leaving United before he retired to become goalkeeping coach at Blackpool. Since then, he has taken up the same role at Bradford City, Tranmere Rovers and the Scottish Women’s National Team and is now back at Blackpool once more.
Danny Cadarmarteri
The second unused substitute from the final was forward Cadarmarteri, best remembered at Tannadice for his two debut goals against Hearts. After leaving he returned to Huddersfield Town before moving to Carlisle. He retired in 2014 due to a knee injury and is currently a coach and youth team manager at Oldham Athletic.
Honourable mentions
Paul Dixon
Having moved to Tannadice from across the road, Dixon was a mainstay in the United team for a number of years but missed out on the final after picking up an injury in the semi-final. He left in 2012 to join Huddersfield Town before returning to United in 2015. Despite an underwhelming spell, his winner in the play-off semi-final against Falkirk is one that is still fondly remembered by Arabs. He then moved onto Grimsby Town and is now back in Scotland with Falkirk.
Darren Dods
Like Dixon, Darren Dods also missed out on the final through injury having featured earlier in the competition. Dods departed Tannadice in 2011, playing for Falkirk and Forfar Athletic before taking up a player/manager role at Brechin City. After being sacked by the Glebe Park side in 2018, he is now a coach at the SFA Performance School.
Damian Casalinuovo
Casalinuovo was left out of the cup final squad by manager Peter Houston but it was the Argentine who got the cup run up and running in the fourth round, albeit it controversially when he found the net against Partick Thistle with his arm. He left Tannadice in August 2010, playing for Hamilton and Raith Rovers before retiring due to a back problem. Returning to his homeland, Casalinuovo is now an accountant.
Andis Shala
The forward only played in the quarter-final against Rangers, but he scored the opener in that draw. He left United in 2011, moving back to Germany where he has played ever since, for Hallescher, Carl Zeiss Jena, BFC Dynamo, SV Babelsberg 03, Rot-Weiß Erfurt and Kickers Offenbach
Lee Wilkie
With his career cut short before the final due to injury, Wilkie was part of a joint trophy lift with Andy Webster. He has had spells as a football agent and a coach, coaching at Montrose, Lochee United and United's academy. He now works on an oil rig.
Manager
Peter Houston
Originally taking over from Craig Levein on a temporary basis after the manager took over the national team, Houston eventually agreed to take charge until the end of the season, leading the side to third in the league as well as of course lifting the Active Nation Scottish Cup. He left Tannadice in 2013, becoming a scout at Celtic before taking the reins at Falkirk. Since then he has been assistant for the Scotland under 21 side and Morton and is now back at Celtic, as the first team opposition analyst.