JULIAN SPERONI, who has asked Dundee to play in his testimonial game at Selhurst Park in May, will be one of five former players inducted to the club’s Hall of Fame.
The Argentinian goalkeeper, now with Crystal Palace, was a real favourite with the fans during his time at Dens Park, and will be one of the main guests at the dinner on Friday, March 27, in the city’s Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa.
The popular event, sponsored by Intona, will see another four former Dundee greats inducted, joining legends such as Alan Gilzean, Bobby Cox, Claudio Caniggia, Ian Ure, Barry Smith and Jocky Scott.
Speroni will be presented with the International Award.
Signed under freedom of contract from Argentinian side Athletico Platense by Italian manager Ivano Bonetti in the summer of 2001, he quickly established himself as Dundee’s No 1 and was an ever-present the following season under Jim Duffy.
He joined Crystal Palace for 750,000 11 years ago and has remained at Selhurst Park ever since, winning four Player of the Year awards and having a restaurant at the stadium named in his honour.
In the Legends Awards category, goalkeeper BILL BROWN and striker JOHN DUNCAN will have the honour bestowed on them by the club.
Brown was one of the greatest Scottish goalkeepers of the post-war period and is a legend at Dens Park as a member of the 1951 League Cup-winning side.
He represented Scotland in the 1958 World Cup as a Dundee player and his legacy at Dens is 274 appearances, making 62 shut-outs, winning one major trophy and gaining 13 international caps at various levels.
He is also remembered for being elastically agile, endowed with remarkably sharp reflexes and never less than impeccable for The Dee.
Bill went on to achieve legendary status with Spurs in their double-winning side of 1960-61, playing 292 times for the London club up to 1966.
John Duncan, a former Morgan Academy pupil, is one of the privileged few who got to play for the club he loved and repaid that by scoring goals for fun.
In a seven-year Dens Park career, he scored 109 goals in 188 appearances, including 40 in season 1972-73 where he finished as Scotland’s top scorer.
The following season he was part of the team to win the League Cup against Celtic at Hampden.
In European competition, he is revered for his Fairs Cup hat-trick against Cologne in 1971 in one of the greatest games Dens Park has ever seen.
He was signed by Spurs in 1974, where his goalscoring feats continued, netting 73 goals in 148 appearances over five seasons.
SANDY MACFARLANE a legendary figure in the annals of Dundee FC with a career that spanned over a quarter of a century will receive the Heritage Award.
He was a player from 1901 to 1913, and also a manager, with two spells between the wars.
The clever inside-forward made 333 appearances for Dundee, scoring 71 times, and his time at Dens saw him win eight international honours, be a Scottish League Championship runner-up three times and was a key figure in Dundee’s 1910 Scottish Cup win.
The Hall of Fame Modern Moment award a new category introduced this year will be awarded to the ever-popular JAMES GRADY.
The pint-sized striker etched himself into Dundee folklore, latching on to an Eddie Annand flick-on before producing a stunning half-volley that gave Jocky Scott’s Dark Blues a 1-0 victory against Dundee United at Tannadice in November 1998.
Playing nearly 100 times for the Dark Blues, he was an integral part of the team that won the Scottish First Division and secured promotion back to the Premier League in season 1997-98.
A limited number of tickets are still on sale for the event by calling 01382 884450 or email commercial@dundeefc.co.uk (all details are available at www.dundeefc.co.uk).
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