# 1982–83 in Scottish football

The 1982–83 season was the 86th season of competitive football in Scotland.

## Overview

In a tightly fought contest Dundee United won their maiden Scottish league title. The league remained undecided until the last day of the season with Aberdeen, Celtic and Dundee United in contention. On the final day Celtic beat Rangers 4–2 and Aberdeen beat Hibernian 5–0, Dundee United held their nerve to win a historic first championship after beating local rivals Dundee 2–1 at Dens Park.

## Scottish League Premier Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dundee United (C) | 36 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 90 | 35 | +55 | 56 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Celtic | 36 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 90 | 36 | +54 | 55 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Aberdeen | 36 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 76 | 25 | +51 | 55 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 4 | Rangers | 36 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 53 | 41 | +12 | 38 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 5 | St Mirren | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 47 | 51 | −4 | 34 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Dundee | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 53 | −11 | 29 | |
| 7 | Hibernian | 36 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 35 | 51 | −16 | 29 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 36 | 11 | 5 | 20 | 39 | 73 | −34 | 27 | |
| 9 | Morton (R) | 36 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 36 | 81 | −45 | 20 | Relegation to the 1983–84 Scottish First Division |
| 10 | Kilmarnock (R) | 36 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 28 | 91 | −63 | 17 | Relegation to the 1983–84 Scottish First Division |
Champions: Dundee United Relegated: Morton, Kilmarnock

## Scottish League Division One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | St Johnstone (C, P) | 39 | 25 | 5 | 9 | 59 | 37 | +22 | 55 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Heart of Midlothian (P) | 39 | 22 | 10 | 7 | 79 | 38 | +41 | 54 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Clydebank | 39 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 72 | 49 | +23 | 50 | |
| 4 | Partick Thistle | 39 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 66 | 45 | +21 | 49 | |
| 5 | Airdrieonians | 39 | 16 | 7 | 16 | 62 | 46 | +16 | 39 | |
| 6 | Alloa Athletic | 39 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 52 | 52 | 0 | 39 | |
| 7 | Dumbarton | 39 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 36 | |
| 8 | Falkirk | 39 | 15 | 6 | 18 | 45 | 55 | −10 | 36 | |
| 9 | Raith Rovers | 39 | 13 | 8 | 18 | 64 | 63 | +1 | 34 | |
| 10 | Clyde | 39 | 14 | 6 | 19 | 55 | 66 | −11 | 34 | |
| 11 | Hamilton Academical | 39 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 54 | 66 | −12 | 34 | |
| 12 | Ayr United | 39 | 12 | 8 | 19 | 45 | 61 | −16 | 32 | |
| 13 | Dunfermline Athletic (R) | 39 | 7 | 17 | 15 | 39 | 69 | −30 | 31 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 14 | Queen's Park (R) | 39 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 44 | 80 | −36 | 23 | Relegation to the Second Division |
Promoted: St. Johnstone, Hearts Relegated: Dunfermline Athletic, Queen's Park

## Scottish League Division Two

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Brechin City (C, P) | 39 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 77 | 38 | +39 | 55 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Meadowbank Thistle (P) | 39 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 64 | 45 | +19 | 54 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Arbroath | 39 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 78 | 51 | +27 | 49 | |
| 4 | Forfar Athletic | 39 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 58 | 38 | +20 | 48 | |
| 5 | Stirling Albion | 39 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 46 | |
| 6 | East Fife | 39 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 68 | 43 | +25 | 43 | |
| 7 | Queen of the South | 39 | 17 | 8 | 14 | 75 | 55 | +20 | 42 | |
| 8 | Cowdenbeath | 39 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 38 | |
| 9 | Berwick Rangers | 39 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 36 | |
| 10 | Albion Rovers | 39 | 14 | 6 | 19 | 55 | 66 | −11 | 34 | |
| 11 | Stenhousemuir | 39 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 43 | 66 | −23 | 29 | |
| 12 | Stranraer | 39 | 10 | 7 | 22 | 46 | 79 | −33 | 27 | |
| 13 | East Stirlingshire | 39 | 7 | 9 | 23 | 41 | 79 | −38 | 23 | |
| 14 | Montrose | 39 | 8 | 6 | 25 | 37 | 86 | −49 | 22 | |
Promoted: Brechin City, Meadowbank Thistle

## Other honours
### Cup honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Report |
| Scottish Cup 1982–83 | Aberdeen | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Rangers | Wikipedia article |
| League Cup 1982–83 | Celtic | 2–1 | Rangers | |
| Junior Cup | East Kilbride Thistle | 2–0 | Bo'ness United |

### Individual honours

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Footballer of the Year | Charlie Nicholas | Celtic |
| Players' Player of the Year | Charlie Nicholas | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | Paul McStay | Celtic |

## Scottish national team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 13 October 1982 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | East Germany | 2–0 | ECQG1 | John Wark, Graeme Souness |
| 17 November 1982 | Wankdorf Stadion, Bern (A) | Switzerland | 0–2 | ECQG1 | |
| 15 December 1982 | Heysel Stadion, Brussels (A) | Belgium | 2–3 | ECQG1 | Kenny Dalglish (2) |
| 30 March 1983 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Switzerland | 2–2 | ECQG1 | John Wark, Charlie Nicholas |
| 24 May 1983 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Northern Ireland | 0–0 | BHC | |
| 28 May 1983 | Ninian Park, Cardiff (A) | Wales | 2–0 | BHC | Andy Gray, Alan Brazil |
| 1 June 1983 | Wembley Stadium, London (A) | England | 0–2 | BHC | |
| 12 June 1983 | Empire Stadium, Vancouver (A) | Canada | 2–0 | Friendly | Gordon Strachan (pen.), Mark McGhee |
| 16 June 1983 | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton (A) | Canada | 3–0 | Friendly | Charlie Nicholas, Richard Gough, Graeme Souness |
| 19 June 1983 | Varsity Stadium, Toronto (A) | Canada | 2–0 | Friendly | Andy Gray (2) |
Key:
* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* ECQG1 = European Championship qualifying – Group 1
* BHC = British Home Championship