Gordon Strachan leads Saints' FA Cup heroes back to one of his spiritual homes tonight.

In what is sure to be an occasion filled with emotion, Saints will take a full-strength squad to Scotland to end their magnificent 2002/3 season with a friendly at Aberdeen as part of a series of events to mark The Dons' centenary year.

Strachan played at Pittodrie between 1977 and 1984, scoring 55 goals in 187 games.

He is rated as one of their best all-time players and became an Aberdeen legend after being part of Sir Alex Ferguson's team that broke the Scottish Old Firm dominance of Celtic and Rangers to win two Premier League titles, three Scottish Cups, a European Cup Winners' Cup and a European Super Cup.

Of his time at Pittodrie, the Saints boss has said: "I loved Aberdeen, I loved the place, I loved the club and I loved the lads.

"There was a bond between us which is still there because we had grown up together at that club. We were all young ambitious players together, we all got married around the same time and then our families began growing up together.

"On the football side we started to have success at the same time too. There was a good blend in that team. We had our share of hard players and we had skilful players. We had good defenders and we had lads up front who could get us goals.

"It was a team which just seemed to come right for this marvellous spell at the start of the Eighties.

"It was a time when we seemed to dominate the game in Scotland and were able to impose ourselves on Europe.

"It was a wonderful time for all of us, enhanced by the fact that so many of us had grown up together at Pittodrie.

"It was like on big happy family until the time arrived for some of us to leave.

"I still look back at those years with really fond memories and a sense of wonder at what we did. We achieved so much more at Aberdeen than I was ever able to achieve at Old Trafford."

He added: "We never analysed it at all. There was a sense of innocence about us all back then. We just went out and played.

"The camaraderie was marvellous and suddenly after that first championship win it all seemed to happen."

Strachan has said he was at his flamboyant best as a player at Aberdeen, but his most influential best at Leeds.

Jack Webster, author of The Dons: The History of Aberdeen Football Club, wrote of Strachan: "In more than 40 years of watching the Dons, I have certainly never seen a better player at Pittodrie than Gordon Strachan, the Wee Man with an incredible ability to beat opponents with the sheer skill of his own twinkling feet."

Strachan, right, will tonight take on two roles to help celebrate Aberdeen's centenary.

One as manager of Saints and the other as captain of a veteran six-a-side team.

The six-a-side "Gothenburg Greats" team will take on a team of ex-Dons stars at half-time.

Strachan will captain a side including Doug Rougvie, John Hewitt, Neil Simpson, Jim Leighton and Neale Cooper.

On the opposing team will be Duncan Shearer, Jim Bett, Bobby Connor, Chic McClelland, John Gardiner and Neil Cooper.

Dons' chief executive, Keith Wyness, said: "We were already delighted that Gordon was bringing the Saints to play Aberdeen but to get him back on the pitch at Pittodrie is an added bonus.

"This veteran six-a-side game will ensure that this is one half-time no-one will want to miss."

Saints and Aberdeen will be playing for the 'Friendship Cup' to celebrate the special relationship shared between the two clubs. The match will kick-off at 7.30pm.