IT was a remarkable send-off for a remarkable man.

Will we ever again see a farewell like the one emotionally afforded to Saints legend Alan Ball at Winchester Cathedral yesterday?

It was, in many ways, a unique occasion, but one totally befitting a person who managed the seemingly impossible.

I mean, who else could unite Saints and Pompey fans in the way Alan Ball did?

No, my eyes didn't trick me when I arrived at the Cathedral yesterday a full three hours before the service of thanksgiving for the England World Cup winner's life was due to start.

There they were, red and white and blue and white standing together, no doubt swapping memories of a man whose death aged 61 from a heart attack last week sent football supporters everywhere into mourning.

But it wasn't just Saints and Pompey who were well represented yesterday, though there were a raft of Ball's former players and colleagues from both clubs.

Speaking to Hampshire's exiled Evertonians revealed the depth of love felt for Ball on Merseyside.

Though he will forever be remembered as the youngest member of England's greatest sporting side, it is with Everton that he enjoyed the best days of his playing career, culminating in winning the League title in 1970.

Of course, the rest of Ball's World Cup winning colleagues were there.

Jack Charlton arrived with Lawrie McMenemy, the man who brought Ball to Southampton in 1976. Like many, Ball found the lure of the region too great and he always returned to Hampshire to live.

Bobby Charlton arrived just before the service began with Sir Alex Ferguson, the pair of them fresh off a plane having suffered the disappointment of Champions League semi-final exit the night before.

As former Saints striker Steve Moran told me afterwards, Fergie's presence summed up how much of an impact Ball had on the beautiful game.

He probably never realised the depth of affection there was for him out there.

That was summed up by two exceptional moments yesterday which will live long in the memory.

When the four-car cortege entered through the Cathedral gates, the assembled fans and members of the public burst into spontaneous applause that lasted all the way until the cortege stopped.

And there was a repeat performance among the mourners packed inside when Ball's coffin - touchingly draped in a St George's flag with his trademark manager's flat cap on top - was carried back out of the Cathedral at the end. It really was one of those hairs-stand-out-on-the-back-of-your-neck moments when Ball's family, friends and former footballing colleagues all stood as one to clap the coffin back up the aisle and into the hearse.

How many funerals have ever taken place where THAT has happened?

How often will it happen in the future?

But it was that kind of day really.

How often do journalists need a press pass to attend a funeral? Well, we did yesterday.

The media were asked to e-mail the Football Association and communication officers travelled down from London yesterday to hand out the passes.

All the emotions were there - sadness at his death, of course, but also joy at recalling a life less ordinary, a life stuffed full of glorious moments.

Ball would have appreciated the choice of hymns.

Jerusalem was brought back into the public eye when England's cricket team won the Ashes in September 2005.

Ball loved that moment, just as he had loved England winning the rugby union World Cup.

In short, Ball loved his country. Anyone who knew him well will tell you he was probably the most passionate England supporter there was.

Then there was Abide With Me, a hymn associated with football and sung before every FA Cup final. Ironically, Ball never won that competition, being twice a losing finalist.

There was a short tribute from Ball's World Cup winning midfield colleague Nobby Stiles, and a longer, more anecdotal and funny one, from his ex-Arsenal team-mate Frank McLintock.

At the end, Ball's son, Jimmy, paid his own emotional tribute. Again, it was met with applause - both before when Jimmy had stood up to speak and after he had finished with a recital of Rudyard Kipling's famous poem If' After finishing the line you'll be a man my son' he added: "My father was a man - probably the best I've ever met."

To close the service with, Frank Sinatra's My Way boomed out over the loudspeakers with everyone asked to sing along - just as Ball used to do.

So farewell then, Bally.

You lived a life millions can only dream of, but you never lost the common touch.

And that, as much as anything, was why so many people were united in grief yesterday.

Yes, it was a unique service. But it only mirrored a truly unique man ...