Former Dundee manager Dave Smith has died at the age of 88.
Smith, who hailed from the City of Discovery, took the reins of his hometown club in the summer of 1988.
It would prove to be a fleeting spell in the dugout but was not without its highlights.
The Dark Blues reached the quarter-finals of the Skol Cup and defeated Celtic home and away during the campaign.
Indeed, the victory over the Hoops on September 24, 1988 remains the last time Dundee defeated the Glasgow outfit at Dens Park, with Tommy Coyne netting the only goal of the contest.
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp…." pic.twitter.com/09V0L2Eky4
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) September 10, 2022
However, Smith would ultimately leave the club on January 20, 1989, following just 27 matches in charge.
English success
That would prove to be the only position in Scotland that the likeable Dundonian would hold – with his working life largely spent in English football.
Following a playing career that spanned stints with Burnley, Brighton and Bristol City, Smith cut his teeth in coaching with Sheffield Wednesday.
He would go onto work for Newcastle United, helping the Magpies lift the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; to this day, their last piece of silverware.
After a period on the staff at Arsenal, Smith struck out on his own with Mansfield, winning promotion from the old Fourth Division in 1974/75.
Smith achieved the same feat with Southend United on two occasions before enjoying a hugely successful period with Plymouth Argyle.
Taking over with the club toiling at the wrong end of the Third Division in 1984, he would ultimately guide them to the heady heights of seventh spot in the second tier of English football and remains a legendary figure at Home Park.
Following his seven months at the helm of Dundee, Smith returned to the south coast to take over at Torquay United before finally hanging up his tartan bunnet in 1991.
Following his retirement, Smith continued to be a well-loved figure around Plymouth – his home away from home – and operated coaching schools for kids in the local area.
Tribute
A Dundee statement read: “Everyone at Dundee Football Club was saddened to learn of the death of former manager Dave Smith.
“Dave managed his hometown team Dundee FC from 1988 – 1989 and passed away just shy of his 89th birthday.
“The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Dave’s family and friends at this sad time.”
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