It is the pub quiz question that might stump even those claiming to have encyclopaedic knowledge of Celtic. Who was their goalkeeper when the Parkhead side last suffered a competitive defeat to Dundee at Dens Park?

Ignorance is forgivable. It’s possible that Alan Rough's entire Celtic career might have passed many people by. It lasted a total of just seven games, with his league debut coming in a 1-0 defeat to Dundee on Tayside on 24 September 1988.

Dens Park, the Kilmac stadium or the Scot Foam stadium at Dens Park. Call it what you will, come tomorrow, when Celtic are due back at Dens for a vital league game, it will be a satisfyingly round number of 13,000 days since the Parkhead visitors last lost at the ground. Or, if you prefer, 34 league and cup trips ago.

Kyogo Furuhashi in the sunshine at Dens Park in November 2021 - Celtic won 4-2 that afternoon and are unbeaten at the stadium since 1988 (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Next season is meant to be Dundee’s last season at Dens before moving to a new stadium on the outskirts of the city. Although that still seems some way off – planning permission has yet to be granted – there might not be too many opportunities left to rectify this record after tomorrow afternoon, with Brendan Rodgers’ side’s visit coinciding with the 62nd anniversary of Dundee’s sole Scottish league championship win in 1962.

Celtic’s own ambitions of retaining this title could hinge on collecting all three points from Dens Park. There will be little surprise if they succeed. The last time the teams met Celtic scored six first half goals in a 7-1 win, although that was at Parkhead, where Dundee have at least won this century (in 2001).

Dundee have not taken so much as a point at home against Celtic since 2016. They have suffered eight successive defeats since that 0-0 draw during Paul Hartley’s time in charge, scoring just three times.

The current Celtic manager was just 15 when Celtic last lost there. The Seoul Olympics were in full swing and Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister, had just delivered her 'Bruges speech', where she set out her opposition to the EEC transitioning into a federal power that would take powers away from its members – it’s said to have laid the path for Brexit.

Alan Rough in his not-so-well-remembered Celtic days - season 1988-89

In football, Celtic were still licking their wounds following a 5-1 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox. It partly explained why Rough was wearing the gloves at Dens as reigning champions Celtic sought to ignite a season that was already beginning to fray badly.

They had lost three of their opening five league games. One of them was their worst Old Firm defeat for 28 years, with goalkeeper Ian Andrews enduring a nightmare that is still referenced today. If a goalkeeper has looked particularly culpable in a defeat, he’s often said to have had ‘an Ian Andrews’.

The Englishman lasted just two more matches – a 2-1 win over Hamilton Accies and a 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen. Manager Billy McNeill might have made the switch sooner but Rough was still recovering from a broken cheekbone. He was finally ready for the trip to Dundee having signed for Celtic as cover in the summer after Pat Bonner injured his back playing in the European Championships for the Republic of Ireland.

McNeill’s SOS message was sent to Florida, where Rough, now 36, had headed after leaving Hibs to sign for Orlando Lions. Speaking this week, the former Scotland goalkeeper concedes he might still be there now if Bonner had not needed an operation. Rough's plans to retire to America had to be re-thought.

Tommy Coyne with his old Dundee and Celtic shirts at his home in Glasgow in 2015

Not only was he being offered the chance to play for Celtic in the twilight of his distinguished career, it was also the opportunity to play in the European Cup for the first time, which he did – against Hungarian side Honved.

After making his Celtic debut against Ayr United in the Skol Cup, it was another month before Rough made his league bow at Dens. He was one of two big personnel changes made by McNeill, who also dropped Mick McCarthy for Lex Baillie. Dundee, meanwhile, were now under the charge of the lovably eccentric Dave Smith. They had started the season even less dynamically than Celtic and were still in search of their first win after five league games, one of which was a 3-0 home hammering by Dundee United.

Tommy Coyne, who had won the Golden Boot the previous season by scoring 33 goals, was still looking to get off the mark. Although Coyne had grown up in Govan – he lived on Broomloan Road, in the shadow of Ibrox – he was a Celtic supporter who had travelled to games with his father on the Govan Brighton Celtic supporters’ club bus.

“We used to go on the bus to places like Dundee on the old road, through Auchterarder, places like that,” he told The Scotsman in 2015. “I remember watching Jocky Scott, who signed me (for Dundee), in the ’70s when Dundee had a great team, and I’d be in the away end.”

He might have been there when Celtic suffered a resounding defeat in April 1980, going down 5-1 to relegation bound Dundee to gift-wrap Aberdeen's first Premier Division title under Alex Ferguson. Dundee's later troubles against Celtic were certainly not anticipated by another big win in 1987, when they scored four second-half goals to beat Davie Hay's visitors 4-1.

But long, winless runs can develop almost unnoticed, becoming as much to do with psychology as performance. Nevertheless, the current Dundee side might be as well-equipped as any to half the extraordinary sequence as they chase a fifth spot finish in the league. They held Celtic's title rivals Rangers to a goalless draw at Dens in their last outing.

There was certainly something in the air on Wednesday night as Everton defeated Liverpool at Goodison to end a run of 12 winless home games against their rivals stretching back to 2010. With time running out and the wrecking ball set to swing at Goodison in just over 12 months’ time, it was one of their last chances to gain a derby victory at the Grand Old Lady.

Might there be something in the air at Dens Park tomorrow? Like Goodison, the old ground is on, it seems, borrowed time. Its much-criticised pitch has certainly seen better days.

One of them was a bright Autumn afternoon in 1988. Steve Campbell funnelled the ball up the line to Keith Wright midway through the first half. Wright left Baillie for dead with a neat dummy and turn before crossing for Coyne, who converted with his left thigh at the near post. Rough was stranded.

It’s fair to say that Coyne's first-ever goal against his childhood team – he was wearing the hoops by the end of the season following a £500,000 move – has since accumulated considerable extra significance.

The teams that day were as follows: Dundee – Geddes, Kirkwood, McKinlay, Chisholm, Forsyth, Saunders, Rafferty, Shannon, Wright, Coyne, Campbelll; Celtic – Rough, Morris, Rogan, Aitken, Baillie (Stark), Whyte, Miller (Archdeacon), McStay, McAvennie, Walker, Burns.

Four players who played that day recount their experience...

ALAN ROUGH - Celtic goalkeeper

I had been playing for Orlando Lions and our season had finished. Billy McNeill phoned me to ask if I would consider coming back or was I staying for another season. I could have stayed another year but I decided to come back.

I played seven games in total – although people keep saying it was five, six or seven so even I am not sure. Dundee was a league game, Hibs was a league game, Dundee United, I played against Ayr United (in the Skol Cup) and there was a 7-1 v St Mirren and one against Motherwell. My last game was the Honved (European Cup) game.

I had gone to America with the thought of staying there for a few years. It was a good set up in Orlando. They had a waiver thing going on and we had four or five foreign players so whoever made up their mind would just come in and say we are not renewing your waiver.

There was always that in the back of your mind. I was 36 and we had a young keeper coming through at Orlando so in theory I might not have got another year. So when Billy McNeill phoned me up I jumped at it right away and came home. You always want to play with one of the big clubs.

I knew when Pat came back he would be No 1. And they obviously paid a lot of money for Ian Andrews – it never worked out for Ian. At the end of the day I knew I would be third choice but if I got a year out of it I knew it would be a year I would remember for the rest of my life. Ask any player who plays for the likes of Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts or whatever and then you go to Rangers or Celtic, it is just a different mindset all together.

I kept a yellow ‘CR Smith’ top. I had intended to keep my Celtic tracksuit but when I came out of the front door at Parkhead one day there was a disabled boy in a wheelchair who asked me for a pair of boots – I said I have to keep my boots, I have a game on Saturday! But I gave him my tracksuit.

Although I only played seven games, every time I go to Parkhead it is like I was there for years. If you played for Celtic once, that’s good enough – you’re one of them forever!

KEITH WRIGHT - Dundee striker

I loved my time at Dundee and that was one of our best results. The main memory I have is that the winning goal involved probably the best bit of skill of my whole career!

I don’t know how I did it, I half-turned and let the ball go through my legs and outpaced Lex Baillie and fired the ball across. That was not really my style – I was more direct usually.

I think that bit of skill is what officially got me my nickname of ‘Ted McMinn’. It was unusual for me to try anything like that. When I came to Dundee, I played wide left quite a lot. There were a few performances where I ran down the line and ran the ball out of the park and I was likened to Ted McMinn, the Rangers winger! It’s stuck ever since. All my football pals still call me Ted.

Like always with Tommy (Coyne), just get the ball to him in the box and he will score. It wasn’t a great finish – I think it hit off his thigh and went in. He was always in the right place at the right time. It’s one of the ones I still look out for – when are Celtic coming to Dens? Can some new history be made?

ANDY WALKER - Celtic striker

I remember the top three pitches at the time were: Dundee's Dens Park, Pittodrie (Aberdeen) and Kilmarnock. They were always the best. This was before you had the advent of undersoil heating and a lot of clubs spending money. Motherwell is a great example. It was a horrible surface for too long and now they’ve spent a lot of money on it and it’s arguably one of the best. Dundee have neglected things. It was a bit embarrassing that they could not get a game on recently. I used to love playing there.

I went there with Motherwell, where it was always a hard game. I did a bit better there with Celtic, but there you are, throwing a defeat in my face! But it was definitely one of the better surfaces, you always enjoyed playing there, although not that time.

Tommy (Coyne) became a teammate of mine at Celtic. I totally changed my mind about Tommy when I played with him because I was a bit surprised when I heard we were signing him. I did not know if he would fit in. I was completely wrong. When I saw him training, his routine was great, his workrate was great and he was a clever player. He was a lot better than I thought he was. I totally got that one wrong. I really enjoyed playing with him. So often in those days it was a partnership you worked with – I played with McAvennie, Mark McGhee and at Motherwell I played with Andy Harrow. Tommy Coyne was quality. Maybe a bit under appreciated by the Celtic support.

BILLY KIRKWOOD - Dundee skipper

When you looked at the standard of player Dundee had at that particular time – and I don't include myself by the way – that was a good, good team. I mean, you had Tommy Coyne and Keith Wright up front – they would be multi-million pound players now.

I remember the goal. Young Stevie Campbell was involved – at that time Dundee's reserve team was a very good team as well. Keith Wright did what Keith Wright does, he dummied the Celtic player and crossed a great ball in and then Tommy Coyne…I still remember thinking, ‘did he just knee that in?!’ he actually ‘thighed’ it in. You would not get strikers doing that these days. It’s simply gob-smacking to think no Dundee team has beaten Celtic at Dens Park since.

'Gob-smacking' Celtic record set to hit 13,000 days since the £500k goalscorer thighed winner past Alan Rough

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