Darren Young hopes a calf injury does not rob him of the chance to take part in Sunday’s charity football showdown against former Aberdeen colleagues.
Young is lined up to play in a Cash for Kids charity game at Sunnybank tomorrow, alongside his brother Derek, Richie Byrne, Darren Mackie and Fraser Fyvie. Dons striking legend Joe Harper will take the team.
On the opposite side, former Scotland manager and current Aberdeen director Craig Brown will lead a team featuring Barry Robson, Kevin McNaughton, Paul Sheerin, Mark Perry, Hugh Robertson, Scott Thomson and boxer Lee McAllister, in a game organised by Dons fan Graham Watt.
Young, who come through the Dons youth academy and played for the first team between 1995 and 2003, now manages East Fife in League 1 nad hopes he can shake off fitness concerns to play.
He said: “I’ve pulled my calf so I could be struggling, but I will give myself as long as possible. I don’t get to play too much these days – I just tend to keep myself ticking over. It’s always good to meet up with these guys; after so long being in the day-to-day environment with these guys, you see them more often than you see your family. But when you go your separate ways and retire, opportunities to see each other are few and far between.
“I’m pretty we’ll all catch up after the game. We have great memories and times with these guys. We grew up together, travelled up to Aberdeen, played together in the reserves and then the first team. I think now, especially with social media, you are still in touch with a few of the guys.
“It was brilliant last year and it’s good to keep that going. Hopefully it’s a nice day for it and we get a few fans along. There’s a lot of effort gone into it in the background from Graham to put it on.”
Entry is free of charge and collection buckets will be present around the ground for donations. Businesses have flocked to give their support, with Unit 51 providing kits, No 1 Bar & Grill supplying food and water, Trophies International giving medals and the cup, F1 Training Services looking after the first aid and The Inn at the Park Hotel providing rooms for players.
Kick-off is at 3pm.