A STANDING ovation welcomed Saints legend Danny Wallace when he returned to St Mary's for his testimonial dinner on Friday.

Jimmy Case, Francis Benali, Mark Dennis and George Lawrence were among the ex-Saints who came out to pay tribute to the former winger, who is now battling multiple sclerosis.

And Wallace, currently in training for next month's London Marathon to raise money for his new MS charity the Danny Wallace Foundation, was also joined by ex-boxer Michael Watson who famously completed the 26.2-mile course two years ago after fighting back from life-threatening brain injuries sustained during a world title bout with Chris Eubank.

Comedian and Saints fan Mike Osman compered the emotional evening which saw Wallace's footballing brothers Ray and Rod, who also both played for Saints, join their mother and 41-year-old Danny's own family.

Wallace was just 16 years and 313 days old when he made his Saints debut against Manchester United in November 1980 - still a club record.

Last May, stars past and present, including Paul Ince, Gordon Strachan and Matthew Le Tissier, took part in a special testimonial match between a Saints XI and an All-Star XI at St Mary's.

A website where supporters will be able to make donations will soon be live at www.dannywallace.co.uk