Allan Evans to be inducted into DAFC's Hall of Fame

a great night of celebration planned at East End Park

The Hall of Fame Dinner is sure to be a sparkling event on Saturday, 10th November. Allan Evans, Istvan Kozma and Alex Mill will all be inducted that night.

Allan Evans was just a teenager when George Miller signed him for the Pars in 1973, bringing hope and youthful enthusiasm at a difficult time for the Club. He went on to great things with his career at Aston Villa and playing for Scotland.

The Game featured an interview with Allan Evans for the Cowdenbeath matchday programme to celebrate his return to East End Park this month.

How do you feel about being inducted into DAFC's Hall of Fame along with the likes of Jock Stein, Roy Barry and Norrie McCathie to name but a few?

Well it's a proud moment for me and for my family, it's great to be amongst those names, I'm very proud of the Club and delighted to be part of it. I don't know Istvan Kozma, I've never met him but he is very worthy of his award too as he has done the Club proud and is still a very popular figure so it's great to be part of that.

You were so young when you were signed for DAFC in 1973 - was this a dream come true for a Dunfermline lad like yourself? Had you been a Pars fan in the first place?

When I was younger I didn't take football that seriously. My Father was in the Royal Air Force so we travelled and moved around a lot and even though I was born in West Calder, we didn't come back to Scotland until I was 12 or 13. My Father was based at Pitreavie then and I started getting into football at school. The School Cup Final was always held at East End Park in those days, and at only 14 I scored four goals in the final as a striker for Kings Road School v Woodmill. And I got signed that night! George Miller was the Manager at the time, and it was a great opportunity for me, even though I was more of a Leeds United fan than a Pars supporter in those days.

Who was your biggest influence in the early days? Did you model yourself on any particular player? Who were your heroes?

When I first got involved in football at DAFC, Dave McNicoll, who was quite a youngster at the time was there and I would watch him regularly and thought I could play like him, although I was a striker and he was a centre half and I could play both those positions. Jim Leishman too was someone I looked up to, he was a youngster in those days and I liked his attitude - he was a grafter, a fighter and that inspired me, that was the way I wanted to play.

Do you have a favourite football moment from your time at DAFC?

Obviously my debut against Glasgow Rangers, in front of such a big crowd, for a young 16 year old, that was an amazing experience, especially when I came off at half time with a broken leg! The Physio at the time, Andy Stevenson, was telling me to get up and get on with it, and I tried to carry on because as a youngster you have that fight in you, but I was in a lot of pain and in the end George Miller decided that something must be up, so I was taken to local hospital where my Mum was a nurse at the time! Quite a night to remember for her and for me!

123 appearances and 15 goals for DAFC - what made you move to Aston Villa in 1977?

Again, as a player I made my debut as a defender, however in my last year at DAFC the Club was facing difficulties and the finances weren't good, and when a striker called Ian Hall got injured, the Club couldn't afford to buy another striker so I played up front for one season and that was season I got sold to Aston Villa.In my last year at DAFC I only played part-time as there wasn't the money there to have all the players full-time, so I also worked as an insurance consultant for 6 months, which I hated, then I got a job in a factory in Touch driving a fork lift truck. I remember rushing home after a 12 hour shift at the factory, my collar black with dirt, to get into my kit for an evening game - it was at that particular game that I scored a hat trick! There were scouts at the match from Aston Villa and Leeds United, they weren't there to see me, they were there to see Hugh Whyte, but I caught their eye and got invited down to both clubs. I found being a full-time footballer in England so hard compared to what I'd been doing in Scotland in terms of fitness, but I seemed to do enough to impress the Aston Villa Manager, Ron Saunders, who offered me a contract and I ended up playing there for 13 years. I loved the club, I really felt part of it, and there were lots of other Scotsmen there, like Andy Gray for instance, I was brought on as his understudy. I made my debut there as a striker but I always felt that I might not make it as a striker, and in fact it was my centre back partnership with Ken McNaught, who was from Fife too, that became a solid partnership for years at Aston Villa.

What do you think about Jim Jefferies' new team at DAFC?

I met Jim Jefferies earlier this year, just after he had started at the Club and I know his history is that he is a hard grafter, that he works his team hard. Jim has still got that hunger, he expects the players to work hard, and he is certainly doing a good job with some great results so far so I wish them the very best for the rest of the season.

You know what it's like to play for the big Clubs when you're young and full of potential - what sort of advice would you give the new young players in the First team?

The advice over the years doesn't change - keep your feet on the ground, work hard - same now as it always was. The only difference now is the media and how they can make or break you. But what I would say to the young players is to remember that it's a great job and you are doing a job you love, which most people can never say about their work, so you should appreciate that and give it your all. Through the good times and the hard times you need to respect each other, stay a close knit team and battle through.

At the end of it all if you are lucky enough to have a solid base like I do with my wife Gill, who is also a local Dunfermline girl (whose father is a well-known vet in the area), then all my career I've had that unwavering support. I didn't have the cliched football lifestyle, instead Gill and I had our children quite young - they are all grown up now, Davida is a lawyer, Jamie, a policeman, Myles, who is also a lawyer, and Ashley, a teacher now. I feel very fortunate, as it's not all about the highs, you need something there to keep you stable and family always gives you that.

Do you have an all-time favourite Pars player / manager?

You always have an affinity to those who first sign you so I would have to say George Miller and Harry Melrose. Ron Saunders too of course, he was old school, he demanded so much from his players, if you messed around you were out, nowadays managers are under more pressure to keep people however they behave. But when I was with Ron it was a very successful time for me, we won the league, we beat Barcelona and of course I played for the Scottish squad in 1982, so a great time for me.

Tickets for The Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday, 10th November at East End Park are £55 per person - call 01383 745 901 or emails sales@dafc.co.uk for more details.