Elgin City’s goalkeeping coach Steven Dunn will become a record-breaker as the oldest SPFL player should he come off the bench for the Borough Briggs club.
The 51-year-old former shot-stopper is currently filling in for Daniel Hoban as the back-up keeper, with the 24-year-old working his way back to fitness following surgery.
With Thomas McHale the first-choice, Dunn was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 4-1 extra-time Scottish Cup defeat away to Championship Ayr United.
Should Dunn get any minutes for City, who host Stranraer in League Two this weekend, he will overtake the oldest player record held by goalkeeper Bobby Geddes, who played for Dundee at the age of 49 in 2010.
Dunn, who starred for Elgin in the Highland League, has been involved with the club for 34 years and been part of the backroom group for the last eight years.
Dunn is up for play if called upon
The goalkeeper, who was with Elgin as a player from 1989 to 2010, said he’s ready for action should he be called into play.
He told the Scottish Sun: “I’ve been on the bench quite a few times this season. I think my fitness, my agility isn’t too bad for 51.
“Daniel Hoban’s not long back from an operation and he still wasn’t 100 per cent for the cup tie at Ayr United.
“He’s been out injured since the start of December, so I’ve been on the bench a couple of times. I’m the goalkeeping coach but I’m registered for emergencies.
“Manager Gavin Price asked me the question at training last Thursday, ‘How would you feel if you had to come on?’
“I said to him, ‘I don’t have a problem with it — as long as the back four realise they’d have to do a lot more work to cover me’.
“They’d have to come for cross balls more often. I probably would find my timing out just because I haven’t been playing.
“So they’d need to cover me more than they would for a normal goalkeeper.”
Family ties create fondest memories
Dunn, who joked McHale would need to retire if he replaced him, also revealed his fondest memory in a long career within football.
He said: “The biggest achievement of my football career — when I played in the Highland League — was when I played with my two sons in the same team. I’ve also played against them.
“A lot of people would love to be able to say that.
“I played alongside my oldest son Michael in 2010 for Elgin City against Caley in a pre- season friendly. He’s 33 now.
“My youngest son Scott, who is 30 in April, also played with me and Michael for Rothes in the Highland League. It’s great memories for us all.
“My boys haven’t really said much to me about the possibility of me playing at 51.
“Scott said it was a pity I didn’t get on at Ayr because he reckoned that would have made the oldest player ever in the Scottish Cup.
“But it was still a privilege for me to be involved with the matchday squad — and the lads were so unlucky not to win.”
And Dunn, who has been Elgin’s goalkeeping coach since 2015, hasn’t ruled out registering for next season to continue to be a back-up for the main two City keepers.
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