Floodlights and the change to tangerine
Wikipedia can be a very helpful research facility, but it has one obvious defect; the information isn’t always accurate! Take the following: They (Rothes FC) play in tangerine shirts, colours they inherited from Dundee United after purchasing the floodlights from Tannadice Park. No date is given on Wiki about the floodlights transaction and no reason is provided as to why a club would change its colours just because it purchased some surplus floodlights. Despite the implausibility of this information it has been cut and pasted on many an internet site.
1969 - DUNDEE UNITED ADOPT TANGERINE AND BLACK
In 1967 Dundee United were one of twelve overseas clubs who competed in the North American Soccer League during Scottish football's close season. Dallas in Texas was the major US city that United represented. Two years later they returned to Texas and again played as Dallas Tornado, this time in the International League. During both competitions the Tannadice Terrors not only assumed the identity of the Dallas club but also wore Tornado's burnt orange strip with a blue trim. (See 1967 team photograph.)
The Dallas Tornado's vibrant colours were quite a contrast to Dundee United's black and white kit, variations of which had been worn by Tannadice teams since that club's long drawn-out metamorphosis from Dundee Hibernian via City to United in 1923. As the two invitations to represent Dallas indicated, by the late 1960s Dundee United were a well regarded Scottish First Division club but one which remained very much in the shadow of their more illustrious Dens Park near-neighbours.
Enter Mrs. Barbara Kerr, wife of the then Dundee United manager Jerry Kerr. Mrs Kerr suggested that United should wear the distinctive 'Dallas' colours when the 1969-70 Scottish League season commenced.
Changing the club's colours was a big step to take but the proposal was enthusiastically embraced by the United board. Two modifications to the Tornado's concept were made, with "orange" henceforth referred to as "tangerine" and the blue trim was changed to black. Since 1969 these tangerine and black colours have been worn with pride as cups have been won, championships clinched, European giants slain - and the balance of power in Tannadice Street irrevocably altered.
1970 - ROTHES FC ADOPT TANGERINE AND BLACK
On 2 August 1969 Dundee United wore tangerine and black for the first time when they lined up at Goodison in a pre-season friendly against Everton. Ten months later, the Press & Journal intimated that Rothes had also decided to ditch their black and white stripes and adopt tangerine as their primary colour. There is also a mention about floodlights in the article, but not in the way that Wikipedia claims.
Aberdeen Press and Journal - Thursday 18 June 1970
ROTHES ADD COLOUR TO HIGHLAND SCENE By Bill McAllister
Rothes will be the “tangerine terrors” of North football next season. The Speysiders have notified the SFA that they are changing their colours from black and white stripes to all-tangerine as part of their “brighten-our-image” campaign.
“We will be almost a completely new team next season,” said Rothes team manager Jim Cannon yesterday. “The black and white went with our depressing results last term. Now that we have launched our big effort to move up the table we felt we needed an eye-catching strip to reflect our policy. No Highland League team has worn tangerine before as their official colours.”
The P&J also mentioned, a bit prematurely, that "Rothes have also begun work on floodlighting their ground". Manager Jim Cannon summarised the summer situation: “It may be the close season, but it’s all go for us just now. We’re determined to be a force to be reckoned with in the new season.”
The enthusiasm of Jim Cannon and his colleagues certainly delivered the club's new colours but the installation of floodlights at Mackessack Park remained resolutely on the to-do list and, it transpired, would have to stay there for a few more years. The Northern Scot and Moray & Nairn Express on 6 December 1975 advised its readers that "big things are planned by Rothes FC in the way of developments at Mackessack Park. Top priority is the replacement of the old stand and dressing room accommodation - for which costings are being taken - and also under investigation is the feasibility of installing floodlights and erecting a new covered enclosure. The Speysiders have already spent several thousands of pounds in replacing the corrugated iron perimeter fence with a concrete wall".
So this Northern Scot article of December 1975 appears to provide irrefutable evidence that there was absolutely no connection between Rothes' switch to tangerine and black in 1970 and the installation of floodlights. Eight months later the Press and Journal provided a further twist in the tale. On 27 August 1976, the following appeared in an ARTICLES FOR SALE column of the P & J: FLOODLIGHTS Dundee United Football Club have a number of floodlights for sale. Anyone interested should contact the Secretary, Tannadice Park, Dundee. Tel. Dundee 86289.
Less than two weeks later, the same newspaper revealed that Maud JFC had purchased the Tannadice lights. The enterprising Aberdeenshire Juniors were delighted with their acquisition of a complete floodlighting system. Perhaps unsurprisingly, changing their club colours was not part of the deal and Maud play in red to this day.
Rothes switched on their new £8,000 - £9,000 floodlights for the first time on Saturday 24 December 1977 for a Highland League fixture with Inverness Thistle. The lighting system was described by the Northern Scot as one of the most up-to-date, with sixty-four lights on eight stanchions. The lights continued to be used in local league and cup matches until the official "switch on" took place on 15 February 1978, in a challenge match against First Division Dundee. The cost to the club of this ambitious enhancement of facilities at Mackessack Park was revealed at the 1978 AGM when it was stated that, during the year ended 31 March 1978, Rothes FC had an operational deficit of over £2OOO, the result of installing the new floodlight system and a long way from the Wikipedia version of events.