Dundee hero Sean Higgins is eyeing up a Dee-fiant reunion in the Scottish Cup as his side Darvel look to get past Brechin.
The 37-year-old is a coach with the West of Scotland Premier League side who will face off again with the Angus club tomorrow night for a chance to play Arbroath in the fourth round.
Should Darvel progress, it would also set up a meeting with Lichties goalkeeping coach and ex Dee teammate Rab Douglas.
The pair played their part in the historic 2010/11 Dee-fiant season with the Dark Blues, coming back from a 25-point deduction after the club was placed into administration.
Ten years on, Higgins still looks back fondly on his time at Dens.
“It was just an unbelievable period. I’ve never seen a togetherness like that before in my life,” he told Courier Sport.
With the deduction, Dundee found themselves 20 points adrift at the foot of the First Division.
Saving the club
After an inspirational team meeting, and a lot of grit and determination, the Dee went on an incredible club-record 23-game unbeaten run, eventually finishing sixth in the table.
Had it not been for the so-called Dee-fiant team, Dundee as we know it could have looked a whole lot different.
“Once it was decided that they were deducting the 25 points, the boys got together,” Higgins recalled.
“Rab Douglas had a meeting and said no matter what we just try our best to keep the club in the division.”
“If you look back now, I don’t think the club would be where they are at the moment if it wasn’t for these boys, obviously I was part of that, but they kept the club in the division.
“Along with the administrators and fans, everybody just pulled together. We saved the club and it’s good to see them back where they belong in the top flight.”
Higgins won silverware with Ross County prior to joining Dundee in 2009, but he said that didn’t compare to the achievement he felt in helping save the Dark Blues.
“I was fortunate to have won Championships with Ross County and won cups,” he said.
“But I think – doing what we did with the likes of the boy [Craig] Robertson coming in as a supporter from Lochee playing games for us, Neil McCann coming on scoring – it’s fairy-tale stuff.
“It ranks right up there.”
Scottish Cup reunion?
The team formed a close bond during that season, one which remains strong today.
But Higgins hopes to have another reunion soon, and a Scottish Cup tie could be the perfect chance.
“If we get a result against Brechin, I’ll maybe call up Big Rab to see if I can get free digs, so I don’t need to get back up the road,” he joked.
“We’ve got a group chat and Rab was saying we’ll need to get together more often and get up to his bar, Studs and Stilettos.”
“We’ll probably get a night out in the new year some time. Hopefully, the boys down south like Rhys Weston can come up. It’s obviously a far one to travel with his work.
“We were very close and that’s not changed.”
