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Sir Alex Ferguson has promised to help ailing Dunfermline by sending a full-strength Manchester United team to play a summer friendly at East End Park — if the troubled club hold out for that long.
Roy Barry, who skippered Dunfermline to Scottish Cup Final glory in 1968, made the desperate plea to his old team-mate when he travelled south to watch United beat Everton 2-0 at Old Trafford last month.
And Ferguson, who was inducted into the Dunfermline Hall of Fame in 2007, responded by pledging to do all he can to help the cash-strapped Fifers, who face a winding-up petition and a desperate race against time to settle a 134,000 tax bill.
Helping hand: A full strength United side will go to Scotland in the summer
Barry told a 'Save Our Club' public meeting in Dunfermline last night: 'I went down a few weeks ago to see Man United and Everton play and I finished up getting quite drunk with Sir Alex, as normally happens when we meet. We were having a chat about the problems up here and I said: "What can you do to help Dunfermline?"
'Sir Alex said: "I tell you what I will do, I will send a strong team up there and that will raise you a few quid." I just looked at him and I couldn't believe him for a minute.
'He said: "It will take time to organise and Real Madrid in the Champions League are my priority at the moment, but I promise I will help Dunfermline out." He told me to get Jim Leishman to phone him and he would sort it out no bother.'
Club legend Leishman, who leads the steering group aimed at keeping the Pars from the jaws of death, added: 'What a great response from Sir Alex. I've since been in touch and they're going to do something in pre-season. 'But last time they came up they fielded an Under-20 side and beat our first team 5-0, so I'm a wee bit worried,' he laughed.
Dunfermline on Monday admitted a winding-up order has been applied for by HMRC and last night's meeting at the town's Carnegie Hall heard steering group accountant Stephen Taylor tell fans that the taxman 'remains breathing down our necks and the club remains in a critical state'.
But he added he was now more confident of staving off liquidation and claimed, if a suitable agreement can be reached between fans and owner Gavin Masterton to buy his shareholding, money is there from fans' groups to pay the taxman and save the club.
A club spokesperson told Sportsmail: 'Dunfermline are due HMRC 89,000 VAT from January 7, 2013, and our January PAYE of 30,000, which fell due on January 22. We were in discussions with HMRC as late as Thursday afternoon to come to a solution regarding the repayment of these outstanding amounts.
'DAFC or their solicitors received no advice from HMRC on Friday regarding a winding-up order. It was only after DAFC called HMRC on Friday afternoon they received confirmation that HMRC had applied for a winding-up order.
Assistance: Sir Alex Ferguson (left) is happy to help Dunfermline
'DAFC have yet to receive a copy of the winding-up order.'
Meanwhile, PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart last night insisted Dunfermline's players would not go on strike while the club's future remained in peril.
The Pars squad considered downing tools ahead of the clash with Partick Thistle earlier this month after only receiving 20 per cent of their February wage.
The threat also came after Masterton suggested receiving some pay was better than having no job at all.
Request: Roy Barry (second right) asked if Sir Alex could help in any way
Wishart said: 'I know the players were beginning to question whether they would receive any more money from the club, given its perilous situation, and whether they as professional footballers should put their livelihoods on the line.
'They were worried about getting injured, which would put them out for four or five months and then not being able to get a club in the summertime.
'But that was averted. We as an association spoke to a number of the players. I think they realise that they have to put their shoulder to the wheel here.'
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