Irons warns Dee will be tough

"Whether it's at the club or as an individual football player, they have something to prove, some contract to win somewhere else. Dundee will not be a pushover, I think it will be rather difficult."

Guest of honour in hospitality at the Pars last home match against Ross County was former Pars player Davie Irons The 49 year old has a playing career that spanned 26 years as a midfielder or central defender. Despite retiring as a player in 2005 Davie re-registered as a player in 2009 to sign as a player/coach at Threave Rovers.

Jim Leishman signed him for Dunfermline in March 1988 from Clydebank and it was Leish who interviewed him in the Kingdom Suite. They warned against thinking Dunfermline might find it easy at Dens Park this Saturday. Drawing on their experiences at Livingston and Gretna, Leish was first to offer advice:-

"We could go up to Dundee with a false sense of security - they have only got nine players thinking we are going to hammer them. It will not work like that, it galvanises the boys. I remember the Livingston situation after they went into administration yet went on to win the CIS Cup."

Davie added:-

"Going back to my Gretna time you hear the rumours and the suggestions about what is going to happen. For the players it is the uncertainty of when it is going to happen that is the hardest part.  When it happens, as Jim says, the players will come closer together and work harder to show that they have a future. Whether it's at the club or as an individual football player, they have something to prove, some contract to win somewhere else. Dundee will not be a pushover, I think it will be rather difficult."

Davie reflected on the move that took him from Clydebank to Dunfermline. The Bankies were run by Chairman Jack Steedman with the assistance of coach Sam Henderson. Davie could not prevent Jim Leishman's team being relegated at the end of that season but recalled fondly the championship winning season that followed:-

"I remember winning the First Division title against Meadowbank Thistle; 13,000 people were in the stadium. We were 1-0 down and Falkirk were maybe 1-0 up at Forfar. The legend that is John Watson scored and there was absolute bedlam after that. It was the highlight of my playing career winning that championship.

"There was a lot of pressure on this man to get us back up after taking us down" he joked "the year before. Leish guaranteed we'd be playing in the Premier League only didn't tell us what year it would be! The week before I joined Dunfermline they had beaten Rangers 2-0 - Mark Smith and John Watson. I had a couple of other offers but nothing like coming to a club as great as this. I was excited about joining Dunfermline although I had never actually been here before that.

"I was working full time and playing part time when I got the phone call from Big Jim. Jim met me and showed me around the place and there was no way I was going to leave without signing. It was an honour and a privilege to play not just for Jim but the club as a whole. It is the best club I have ever been at."

Davie was accompanied by his mother who celebrated her 80th birthday this month and Davie explained how she and his father travelled up every home game from Dumfries to see him play.

"Whenever I have come back as a player or a manager I have found the people here absolutely fantastic. Money doesn't guarantee success for clubs, team spirit goes a long way to getting a club success. The players, the coaching staff, the fans, the board need the togetherness to achieve what you want to achieve. That was evident at Dunfermline with the success that we had."

Asked what was his favourite game for Dunfermline, Davie Irons chose the match two weeks before winning the league against Meadowbank Thistle.

"It is nothing to do with the fact that I scored the winner. We had two home games to come after that Clyde and Meadowbank - both at home - and a win up at Forfar would mean that we only had to win two more points. We got one against Clyde but at Forfar we won 1-0 - I hit it first time, it was 45 yards out," he exaggerated.