Rory MacLeod became the youngest ever Dundee United player as he made his debut at the age of just 16 years and six days against Motherwell.
MacLeod came off the bench to replace goal hero Tony Watt in the last minute of United’s 2-0 win over Well.
The Tannadice club climbed to fourth in the Premiership table with the victory.
And it will be a night to remember for MacLeod, who has overtaken Chris Mochrie as United’s youngest appearance holder.
Kevin McDonald also played his first competitive football match for 19 months after recovering from a kidney transplant.
And delighted Dundee United boss Tam Courts was beaming after a dream night for his club.
“It was one of those nights where if you actually believe in the magic of football,” said Courts. “It was written in the stars for Tony to score.
“He’s been tremendous since he came, both off the park and on the park. The only thing he was missing was obviously the goals.
“So with the story of Rory MacLeod becoming the youngest ever debutant, Kevin McDonald playing his first game in well over a year and Tony Watt getting his goal, it’s a really strong night for us.”
Rory MacLeod Dundee United debut came after ‘moment of magic’ from Dylan Levitt
United took the lead through a Dylan Levitt wonder goal in 29 minutes.
The on-loan Manchester United star curled a volley into the top corner.
And Watt made sure of the win with a second half effort as the hosts overtook Hibs and Motherwell to move into a European spot.
“Dylan’s goal was again a real moment of magic,” added Courts.
“As soon as the ball fell, you couldn’t have better hand-picked someone for it to fall to.
“He caught it so sweet and it was another big moment in front of the fans.
“That’s the trials and tribulations of being a football manager. It’s a long season.
“The league, over the last couple of months has become really tightly condensed.
“We came back after the New Year and arrested a bit of a slump and resuscitated the team and got ourselves back functioning again.
“The next part of the challenge for the players tonight was to put a performance in and really excite the home fans.
“It’s a huge three points because the incentive was there for us to try and get ourselves into fourth with a hard fought win.”
