IVO Den Bieman turned into a Flying Dutchman as soon as he heard there was the chance of returning to Dunfermline to meet up with old team-mates and fans.

The former Pars defender crossed the North Sea as readily as he used to cross a ball when asked to play in November's Match for Mary by Dick Campbell.

His old boss was raising cash for a cause close to his own heart, a sensory garden for the Jean Mackie Centre in Dunfermline, and Den Bieman didn't need to be asked twice.

"Right from the very beginning, as soon as I was asked I immediately started arranging the flights," he smiled.

"It's a very special feeling for me to come across and play with the guys I'd played with before.

"I played here for five years and my best times were here.

"It's also a strange and mental feeling to have this, what would you say, celebrity status, in a different country when I've been out of football for so long and have a normal job back home!" Den Bieman (42) was a cult hero at East End Park, often hurtling up and down the pitch from right back and sending over crosses to strikers like Andy Smith, Hamish French and Stewart Petrie.

He signed from Dundee in 1993 and stayed until 1998, sharing a pitch with club legends Andy Tod and Norrie McCathie and helping the club win promotion to the Premier League in 1996, just months after McCathie died.

Den Bieman was also among the goals, netting 13 in more than 120 appearances.

After starring in the Match for Mary last month, the Dutchman, who works for Securitas as a business manager, said, "I really remember winning the championship, that was the big highlight.

"I'm staying with Andy Tod while I'm over here and we were looking on You Tube as a lot of Dunfermline supporters posted TV footage of those games.

"The team we had was full of camaraderie and fighting spirit, you're part of that but you don't realise it at the time.

"Looking back in hindsight it was something really special and that's what made the team in those days."