Windass and Jess to star in charity match

Aberdeen legends Dean Windass and Eoin Jess are set to play in the Granite City again next month.

Pittodrie greats Windass and Jess are both confirmed to feature in a charity football match in aid of Cash For Kids.

The duo are part of a star studded event at Cove Rangers’ Balmoral Stadium on Sunday June 4 (3pm).

Striker Windass, 54, played for the Dons from 1995 to 98 and was a huge fans’ favourite.

Windass scored 31 goals in 91 appearances for Aberdeen.

After leaving Pittodrie he went on to star for Hull City, Sheffield United and Bradford City.

Jess, 52, will jet in from Barcelona for the second successive year to play in the charity match.

Scotland international Jess was the most exciting player of his generation to emerge through the Pittodrie Youth system.

At just 19 years old, Jess helped Aberdeen win the League Cup final in 1989.

Jess moved to the English top-flight with Coventry City in 1996.

He later returned to Pittodrie for a second spell at the and racked up a combined total of 442 appearances, scoring 107 goals.

Organiser Graham Watt said: “This year we have Dean Windass and I’m sure a lot of people will be looking forward to seeing him play.

“It is special for Dean to come up and be involved.

“Eoin will be back again after last year which is fantastic as he is also a fans’ favourite.

“I think Eoin is the favourite Aberdeen player ever for many of the club’s fans.

“Eoin is flying over from Barcelona again for this so I cannot thank him enough.

“When Eoin came on to the park last year he got a huge roar from the crowd.”

Other former Dons confirmed for the charity match are Darren Mackie, Lee Miller, Darren Young, Gary Dempsey, Robbie Winters, Richard Foster, Zander Diamond, Richie Byrne and Phil McGuire.

Watt said: “With Miller, Diamond, Byrne, Foster and Mackie it is like a reunion of the Jimmy Calderwood team.

“There are a lot of the players from Calderwood’s team that qualified from the Uefa Cup group stages in the 2007/08 season.”

The Cash For Kids charity football match returned in 2022 after a two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The match has grown each year and organisers are hoping for bumper crowds to watch legends like Windass and Jess.

Watt said: “We raised just shy of £3,000 last year in what was a great day.

“We have set the target of £3,000 again this year and if we could top that it would be spectacular. The money really makes a difference.”

Dean Windass during his Aberdeen days.