Ninth Hall of Fame - November 2012
The Ninth Hall of Fame was held in the Kingdom Suite at East End Park on Saturday 10th November. Obviously for the former players attending that took them back to the very spot of the previous dressing rooms.
As well as Allan Evans, Istvan Kozma and Alex Mill two legends from earlier years were also inducted - Andy Wilson and Bobby Skinner. In introducing these players to the audience, Club Historian Duncan Simpson described the signing of Andy Wilson from Middlesbrough as a coup that in current terms would equate to Dunfermline`s current side gaining the services of Wayne Rooney.
Alex Mill told a story of how he had once left his microphone unattended at half time only to hear his tannoy announce "would the owner of some car and giving us the registration number please return to the vehicle immediately." I am looking at the police, they were looking through at me and I was shaking my hands. The announcement continued "as someone has let down the tyres!" What had happened was that Gerry Britton and Allan Moore had got hold of the microphone. and decided they knew this Rangers director`s car number." The match commander was not too pleased.
Acknowledging it as having been a great privilige to have been the voice at East End Park for 20 years, Alex reminisced about special games:-
"I have seen a lot of games but it is hard to prioritise - probably when you get promotion because you always remember them - but the game that will always stick in my memory for all sorts of different reasons was the first game here after Norrie (McCathie) unfortunately passed away. I will never forget the goal that Craig Robertson scored to make it 4-3 (against Clydebank)."
Alex Mill joined a list of servants to the football club who have been honoured at previous Halls of Fame - Bill Gilby, Sam Hutchison, Pete Campbell and Duncan Simpson. Jim Leishman told Alex:- "You are now one of these special people and we are very proud of you."
Allan Evans returned from Saltash in Cornwall where he runs a driving school. He made 123 appearances for Dunfermline, scoring 15 goals before joining Aston Villa in March 1978. Allan went on to play in the European Cup winning side in 1982 and make the Scotland squad for that year`s World Cup Finals in Spain.
Allan received his award from the Former Players Association represented by former team mate Kenny Thomson and his former Manager Harry Melrose. (the brown envelope is a membership application form!). Harry Melrose described `Albie` as a never say die player and Kenny Thomson said that `Albie` really deserved the success that came his way after leaving Dunfermline.
Istvan Kozma was sponsored by the Pars Supporters Trust
Istvan was delighted to be back in Dunfermline for the first time since Stewart Petrie`s Testimonial match in January 2003. He joined Dunfermline in September 1989 for an all time record fee of £540,000. Thirteen of his 40 caps for Hungary were gained while he was at Dunfermline. He thanked Blair Morgan and Jim Leishman for his move to Dunfermline. He said that they had been frank about just what kind of club he would be joining:-
"Jim told me that Dunfermline were not a big team like Rangers, here it is a very family club and he talked and talked and talked about the supporters and the city. I said `okay I`m coming!` Everybody knows we had a great team, great directors, great manager and of course great supporters."
Kozma said that he was overwhelmed by the reception he had received on his return to Dunfermline, at Firhill on Saturday and at the Hall of Fame event. "I am thinking that it is like coming home."
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