Some of Britain’s best-known soap stars are to take part in a charity match at Dens Park, Dundee, later this month.

Although the long-term future of Dundee FC remains far from certain, the likes of ex-Boyzone member and Rover’s Return barman Keith Duffy will be doing their bit to help the cash-strapped Dark Blues.

They will line up for a celebrity side against a team of Dundee legends, which officials are hoping will feature the Tommy Coyne-Keith Wright partnership, on Sunday, April 18, in a match that is expected to grab the attention of football buffs and soap fans alike.

The game has been arranged by Dundee fan Tom Craig, aka Coronation Street hardman Tommy Nelson, who managed to persuade a number of fellow actors to help out.

Tom said that his girl friend came from Dundee and, because of the influence of her dyed-in-the-wool Dark Blue family, he now regularly attends Dens Park.

“I was really keen to see if we could come up and help and the best way to do that seemed to be to get a game organised,” he said.

“There’s about eight of us from Corrie—all the young, and some not-so-young, lads from the show really—who play and some of the other guys from some of the other shows.

“Our Corrie team plays a lot of games around the north-west of England and they’re all well up for coming to Dundee for this one.

“I’ve got to say thanks to ScotAirways because they’ve arranged flights for us which mean we can get up to Dundee and back again all in the one day.

“We’ve got to do it that way because of filming commitments and everything.”

The Weatherfield boys will be joined by cast members from Holby City and Emmerdale, including another star with a strong Dundee connection.

Jeff Hordley, who plays Emmerdale’s Cain Dingle, has family in the city, including brother Mark, a season ticket holder at Dens.

Making up the side will be ex-pros Asa Hartford, Alan Kennedy, Chris Waddle and former Dundee manager Simon Stainrod, along with boxer Ricky Hatton.

Admission to the game will cost £10 for an adult and one child plus £1 extra for each additional juvenile.

Fans who fork out £200 will be able to go one better and actually play alongside their heroes.

A limited number of places on the legends team are available and can be snapped up by calling Dave Forbes on 884450.

A spokesman for Dundee said he was sure the day would prove a great success and that a substantial sum of money would be raised to help meet the club’s running costs for the rest of the season.

“Tom Craig was one of the first people on the phone to the club after we went into administration offering help and this is a fantastic gesture by him,” he said.

“We’d like to thank him and everyone else who will be taking part.”