FORMER Pars hero Stevie Crawford is keeping his fingers crossed that there will be "memories that are created forever" when the Euros kick off in eight days time.

The 50-year-old, who won 25 caps for Scotland during his career, is hopeful that Steve Clarke and his players will provide the Tartan Army with an excitement at the tournament that will lift the roof off his old stomping ground.

Crawford, who had three spells with Athletic as a player - the first as an 'S' form - as well as two years as the club's manager, returned to KDM Group East End Park to throw his support behind the Dunfermline City Fan Zone.

One of the largest in the country, up to 3,000 fans can pack into the Norrie McCathie Stand to watch each of Scotland's games on two large festival-style LED screens at either side of the pitch.

READ MORE: Fans can hit the bar and cheer on Scotland in the Euros at East End

The Scots will take on hosts Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024 next Friday evening (June 14), before playing Switzerland (June 19) and Hungary (June 23) in their bid to progress from the group stage of a major tournament for the first time.

"It's great now we're talking on the back of us qualifying for the Euros. Under Steve Clarke now, we've made it two-in-a-row," Crawford said.

"1978 (World Cup) was too young for me, but 1982, 1986 World Cups, being around about the family, my dad and everything like that, getting excited and that feeling of being let down, but at least qualifying for these tournaments.

"It's brilliant that Dunfermline have been on the front foot as a football club and got the relationship with the council to put an event like this together.

"I'm sure it'll attract a lot of attention. Hopefully a lot of people come to see all three games. You get relationships and memories that come from it.

"It'll be a safe environment, hopefully there'll be a lot of excitement for good reasons! 

"I think they're the only club in Scotland that have done it, and who's to say that if this isn't successful that, in the years to come, that there'll be other events put on here as well?

"It's great for the club, but also equally important for the local community.

"I think we've got to watch and not get ahead of ourselves because, as a nation, how excited did we get when we actually qualified for a tournament?

"It's that expectation level of are Scotland going to now get through to the next stages? Because that's the next bit.

"The reality is we've never done it before as a nation, so it's getting the balance right of the excitement.

"We've always competed. I'm sure that when you get hopefully 3,000 people together, all going there for the same reasons, that we want to try and get to the next stages, it'll be memories that are created forever."

Crawford made his Scotland debut under Craig Brown in a Kirin Cup tie against Ecuador in 1995, in which he scored, but never featured at a major tournament for his country.

He helped them reach the play-offs for Euro 2004, where they lost to the Netherlands, but having the chance of pulling on the dark blue remains a source of pride.

"Any time I pulled on the Scotland jersey, it was an unbelievable feeling of pride, because I know what it meant to my family," Crawford said.

"I said from when I was seven-years-old that I wanted to play for Scotland. It wasn't playing in the Champions League - at that point I don't think it was up and running - it was playing for my country.

"To get the opportunity to do that, you have to deal with those feelings. You're going out to compete and it can be a bit overwhelming."

Tickets for the Dunfermline City Fan Zone can be bought online at https://dunfermlinecityfanzone.com/.

If you purchase your tickets by 7.45pm tomorrow (Friday), you will also be entered into a draw to win a Scotland shirt signed by the Euro 2024 squad.