Ralph Milne

The day after his 22nd birthday, Milne opened the scoring against local rivals Dundee with a skilfully executed long-distance chipped shot; the match finished 2–1 to United.

Milne achieved his peak goal tally in his career that season, scoring 21 goals in all competitions.

Having turned 22 the day before the game, the goal against Dundee was to be the defining moment of his career.

Ralph Milne (13 May 1961 – 6 September 2015) was a Scottish professional footballer whose clubs included Dundee United, Charlton Athletic, Bristol City and Manchester United.

He played as both an attacking midfielder or a winger.

Ralph Milne was born in Dundee, the youngest of four siblings, on 13 May 1961.

He was moved forward a year in primary school due to his remarkable academic progress.

He began his football career as a youth with Dundee Celtic Boys Club, where he played initially as a striker and had a prolific goalscoring record.

Milne signed for Dundee United in January 1976 and after a couple of seasons in the reserves began to feature for the first team during the 1979–80 campaign.

He scored his first goal at the age of 18 during his full debut appearance on 28 July 1979, United's third goal in a 3–0 win over Dunfermline Athletic in a Drybrough Cup tie.

Milne scored his first Premier Division goal on 8 September in a 2–2 draw away against Celtic, netting the equaliser with a long-range shot.

By the end of his debut season, Milne had played 20 games, eight of which he was in the starting line-up for, and scored three goals.

He was named as the club's Reserve Player of the Year and picked up a 1979 Scottish League Cup Final winners medal despite not being named in the matchday squad.

The 1980–81 season saw Milne become a regular in the Dundee United team, scoring 10 goals in 33 appearances.

United retained the League Cup, though Milne did not feature in the final victory over their Dundee derby rivals at Dens Park.

He finished the season playing in the 1981 Scottish Cup Final side, which ended in a 4–1 defeat to Rangers after a replay.

Milne was now being described by manager Jim McLean as "potentially... the most exciting player in Scotland", describing Milne as a "winger with pace who can score goals".

McLean however expressed reservations about Milne's overall attitude and ability to play through patches of poor form.

Dundee United reached another final in the 1981–82 season, and Milne scored the opening goal in the 1981 Scottish League Cup Final on 28 November 1981, latching onto a pass from Paul Sturrock and striking a low powerful shot past the Rangers goalkeeper; however Rangers went on to controversially win 2–1 after another goal for Dundee United, "scored" by Sturrock, had been disallowed for offside.

Milne also impressed in Europe that season, scoring against AS Monaco, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Winterslag (twice) in the UEFA Cup.

He began his career at Dundee United, helping the club to be crowned Premier Division champions in 1982–83, and playing in Scottish Cup and League Cup final defeats.

In recognition of his contribution to the most successful period in the club's history, Milne has been inducted into the Dundee United Hall of Fame, alongside several of his former teammates.

He made a total of 285 appearances for Dundee United in major competitions and is the club's all-time top scorer in Europe (UEFA Cup and European Cup) with a tally of 15 goals.

Milne is often considered to be among the best Scottish footballers not to win a full senior cap.

The 1982–83 season proved to be a seminal year for both Dundee United and 21 year-old Milne.

The club won the league for the first time, finishing one point ahead of Celtic and "New Firm rivals" Aberdeen in a tightly fought league campaign.

Milne's 16 goals in the league, playing wide right, were a significant contribution to United's league win.

One of the most high profile of these goals was on 20 April when he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Celtic at Parkhead; he controlled an Eamonn Bannon cross from the right on his chest and volleyed the ball from 20 yards out past Celtic goalkeeper Packie Bonner.

On the last day of the season, 14 May 1983, Dundee United needed a win to guarantee the league title.

Dundee United's league success saw them take part in the European Cup in 1983–84.

Milne scored doubles against Hamrun Spartans and Standard Liège as United reached the semi-final, losing 3–2 on aggregate to Roma in an ill-tempered tie.

Dundee United also failed to retain their league title, finishing in third place and 10 points behind champions Aberdeen.

Milne's goal tally also dropped significantly from the previous year, down to five goals in the league and a total of 12 in all competitions.

Milne was with Dundee United for a further three seasons and still a regular player in the team, although he scored less frequently.

Milne's increasingly fractious relationship with manager Jim McLean was also becoming common knowledge; in December 1983 McLean publicly criticised Milne, stating: "I have tried to get the message across to him that it is when he is not playing well that he needs to work hardest. It is plainly not sinking in."

In August 1984, Milne scored both goals against Nottingham Forest in a pre-season testimonial match for McLean.

However, after the game the pair again fell out because of a brief conversation Milne had with Brian Clough which led McLean to believe the player was trying to arrange a deal away from United; by this time Milne had grown increasingly frustrated over being frequently fined a week's wages for breaking minor club rules and generally offending McLean's strict sense of discipline.

Hampered by his heavy drinking, he hit his peak at an early age and after an unsuccessful spell at English club Charlton Athletic from January 1987, ended the 1987–88 season with Third Division club Bristol City.

He returned to the First Division after being signed by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in November 1988 for a £170,000 fee, but failed to restart his career.

Barring a brief spell in Hong Kong with Sing Tao, Milne played his last first-team game as a professional at the age of 28.