IF football fans in West Fife were to cast their mind back 20 years, they’d find our national game to be in a rather different place.

In 1998 the Pars were about to complete their second season back in the top flight under Bert Paton, while Scotland were preparing to kick off the World Cup against the champions, Brazil, in Paris.

But, for followers of Celtic, it has gone down in folklore as the year their team won their first title in 10 years – and stopped Rangers from eclipsing the feat of nine-in-a-row set by Jock Stein and his legendary Lisbon Lions side.

And now, thanks to Dunfermline author Paul John Dykes, two of that famous Hoops squad will be at the Alhambra Theatre to look back on that historic triumph while also raising cash for charity.

Simon Donnelly, who went on to play for Dunfermline, and Tom Boyd will be in conversation with Paul for the ‘Smell the Glove – when Celtic stopped the 10’ event on May 19, proceeds from which will go to the Celtic FC Foundation.

For the players and supporters, it will be a trip back down memory lane to remember an achievement that Boyd said can’t be underestimated.

Speaking to the Press, he said: “The level of importance, I believe, is only second behind winning the European Cup. That’s how some fans put it; to stop your rivals winning 10-in-a-row and our first trophy for a long time.

“The Lions won nine-in-a-row, which was a fantastic achievement, so you can imagine the kinda pressure you were on. We can take a wee bit of pride in protecting the history by managing to win that championship.”

Celtic clinched the title with a 2-0 win over St Johnstone on the final day but, a week earlier, they arrived in Dunfermline knowing a win would seal the deal at East End Park.

Donnelly, who spent two years as a Pars player, fired the Hoops ahead but, in the last game to be played in front of the terraces, Athletic played the role of party poopers in a 1-1 draw.

He recalled: “It was as if the whole Celtic support was coming through to Dunfermline expecting us to get over the line that day. That’s my memories of it and obviously the goal; Henrik (Larsson) has played a nice ball and I’ve taken it well, and I’m thinking this could be the goal that gets us over the line.

“But, as we’ve joked about many a time, big Jonathan Gould came for a ball he should never have come for and a guy called Craig Faulconbridge, who I still wake up in cold sweats in the middle of the night about, pops up and gets the goal.

“I was possibly going to go down in history as the man that took us over the line, but that would’ve been a wee bit selfish with 60,000 fans at Celtic Park the week after!”

“It goes down in history and you go down in history in such an important season for the club, and you can say that you played your part. As a young boy, you don’t really appreciate it as much. But I certainly do nowadays.”

Boyd added: “We knew the importance of it. There was huge pressure and I particularly remember coming back from Dunfermline and getting dogs abuse for not having done it there! But it was a special occasion and we wanted to win at Celtic Park; that’s why we didn’t do it at Dunfermline!”

Paul, who previously worked with a band of Pars fans to produce ‘Into the Valley: An East End Odyssey’, joked that hosting the event in Dunfermline was “payback for Craig Faulconbridge!”

He added: "Last year, I met Jim McCalliog (ex-Manchester United and Scotland player) at an art exhibition that I curated. Following that, Jim asked me to host an event that he had organised in Glasgow with Chris Sutton and Neil Lennon.

“Penalty Spot Events were at the event on the night and approached me afterwards to host some events with former Celts. We have since booked the Smell The Glove gigs for Dunfermline, Glasgow and Greenock.

“Tom Boyd is funny, bold and engaging, whereas Simon Donnelly is more circumspect, so there is a good mix of guests. Phill Differ will provide the half-time laughs; he wrote the gags for such staples of Scottish TV comedy as Only an Excuse? and Rab C Nesbitt, and he is the funniest person I’ve ever met.

“The audience is in for a night of football and comedy, which often go hand-in-hand with the Scottish game.

“Celtic have a huge fanbase in Fife and a proud heritage in the area, with the John Thomson grave in Cardenden, and the Peter Johnstone memorial garden in Glencraig.

"One of our finest players, George Connelly, hailed from High Valleyfield, and our current leader, Scott Brown, was a Hill of Beath native.

“Added to that, the Alhambra is a stunning theatre and I’m sure we’ll have a very special night in the town.”

The tickets for the event, which kicks off at 8.30pm, cost £15 and can be bought from the Alhambra box office.