Peterborough Sports legend will even get a hero's welcome from the opposition dugout

​And that warm welcome will be extended to the home dug-out where joint-manager Michael Gash will deliver a handshake of friendship and respect to the man who set him on the management road.

Gash replaced Dean as Sports boss midway through last season when the multi-promotion winning boss took on the challenge of reviving a club who were in the Championship as recently as 2011.

"Jimmy was basically responsible for me getting this job,” Gash, who shares management duties at Sports with former Posh ‘keeper Luke Steele, recalled.

“When he was thinking about joining Scunthorpe he asked me if I’d be interested in replacing him at Sports and when he did leave he rang me and said he’d recommended I take over.

"He felt I was the right man for job. I was a Peterborough man and I wanted to get into management, plus I had been playing for Sports so I knew the club.

"I was very flattered that Jimmy felt I could replace him and that the club agreed.

"He brought me here as a player as well and gave me the chance to extend my career so I have a lot to thank him for. He really looked after me as a player.

"Mind you I want to beat him on Saturday and I’m sure he will want to beat me.

“But it’s not really about me beating him or him beating me. It’s about two clubs who will want to win a game of football.

"It’s a great fixture for us. It must be the biggest club to ever play a league game at our ground and it will hopefully attract a bumper crowd.

"Obviously it’s a tough one for us. They are a good footballing side, but I’m not sure whether or not they will be able to play the way they want on our pitch.

"Scunthorpe have a lot to play for as well. They will want to win promotion by finishing top, but they have a bit of ground to make up on Tamworth.

"Scunthorpe have been good, but Tamworth keep picking up results. These next two months will probably go a long way to deciding who wins the league and Jimmy’s experience of winning promotions should come in handy.

"Whatever the result on Saturday though it won’t change the amount of respect I have for Jimmy.

"What he achieved at Sports is pretty much unbelievable and we are still feeling the benefits of what he created now.

"A lot of our players were signed by Jimmy, but they will want to play well in a big occasion against his side.

"We do have catch-ups from from time to time. We get on very well.”

Scunthorpe are second, nine points Tamworth, but with two games in hand, going into an all-ticket match at PIMS Park and one of their most disappointing results was a 1-1 early season home draw with Sports.

Sports hope to have central defender Connor Johnson and utility player Dan Jarvis available again after injury.

Scunthorpe fans are expected to travel to Sports in big numbers.

Tickets are available from https://pslfc.ktckts.com/.

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