Fighting spirit

THERE was a sense of anticipation about meeting Danny Wallace.

But it was different from the usual feeling which can accompany interviewing a well-known sportsman. There were a few more butterflies floating around the stomach.

I could vividly still recall Wallace in his footballing prime as he formed a key part of arguably the greatest Saints team there has ever been during the mid-1980s.

But then came the news a few years ago that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis.

His friend and former Southampton teammate George Lawrence said that Wallace suffered good and bad days.

I'd read somewhere he sometimes struggled to walk to the end of the road, but other than that, I knew little about the severity of his condition.

He sounded chirpy on the phone the day before our meeting in Manchester. And he was insistent. There was no need to come to his house, he would make his own way into the city centre and meet us for a drink.

"It's good for me to get out and it's no problem," he said.

The Manchester Conference Centre was the venue and from the moment he pulled up outside reception, that feeling of nervous anticipation flowed away.

Walking clearly wasn't easy, but the way he shuffled efficiently, if not speedily, into the reception with the aid of a cane oozed dignity and determination.

A white wine in the bar followed and for well over an hour, Wallace, who is now 40, looked back over his life.

At different times, it was funny, moving, fascinating and inspiring, yet a common theme kept creeping into the conversation. Moving on.

Never easy for anyone. But especially, you sense, for someone suffering from MS. And even more especially, when that person's life was once defined by his physical prowess.

By his own admission, Wallace struggled to come to terms with news of his diagnosis in 1995.

"I got my first football when I was eight and from then on I always had a ball at my feet," he says.

"It took a lot of time to accept I was never going to play football again.

"I wasn't positive to begin with and it has taken me five years to really come out.

"People would come up to me and say 'what are you doing now?' and I would just say 'I'm not doing anything'. I just wanted to be left alone, I wanted people to remember me how I used to be.

"I didn't want people to see me because my walking was so bad. I didn't want to be a burden. I used to go out and I was always falling over cracks in the pavements and things like that.

"After five years, I said to myself 'I need to get out, I need to start doing things'.

"The last few years I have been using a cane - it means I can go out more easily and more often."

A dad of three, family has played a big part in the 'moving-on' process, particularly wife Jenny, who he has been with since the age of 15 after they grew up around the corner from each other in Deptford, south-east London.

They recently became grandparents to Harlei and have three children, 21-year-old Remi, Elisha, 17, and Thaila, who is ten.

But if family has brought great comfort from MS, it has sometimes magnified the pain.

"For me, not being able to kick a ball around with my youngest son is the worst thing of all. It would have been nice for me and him to have had that quality time as he is just getting into football," he says.

Wallace was 31 when he learned he was suffering from the disease and his career had been on the wane for two or three years as he fought against persistent injuries.

Despite the struggle coming to terms with MS, he admits it also came as a relief to know what was wrong.

"I think the injuries I had as a footballer were linked," he says.

"I was getting injuries every other game, but it was always down one side of my body.

"Then the whole of my back was seizing up after games and I was getting pins and needles all over my body.

"I knew something was wrong. I knew it wasn't just that I was an injury prone player.

"Now I have my good days and bad days - but it's more good than bad. I've had maybe three relapses in nine years."

A long-awaited and richly-deserved testimonial for Wallace awaits at St Mary's on Monday night, yet he accepts that Tuesday morning is perhaps an even more important date as he attempts to draw a line under his football career.

"I want to change from being a good footballer into a good person," he says.

"I'm very excited about the testimonial, but after this game I want closure. I think I need that, I know I have to move on from football. I can't play anymore and I have to close the chapter on that part of my life.

"I want to try and help other sufferers of this disease and it would be nice to get involved with the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"I don't want people to feel sorry for me. I feel like I can beat this, even though I know it will stay with me for the rest of my life."

Moving on. Maybe it wasn't exactly helping that process, but for a while at least, we just had to talk about those glory days at The Dell as well as his time at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson.

From the moment Wallace became Saints' youngest ever player at the age of 16 years and 314 days, it truly was a record-breaking career.

"It was very frightening because it was at Old Trafford," he recalls.

"Lawrie McMenemy didn't tell me until 2pm on the day of the game. I thought I'd only come up there to pack the kit and clean a few pairs of boots and now I'm going out to make my debut against Manchester United. Very scary!"

Wallace first roomed with Mick Channon and established himself in a Saints team regularly pushing for Europe.

He also continued to set records.

He scored the first televised Saints goals at The Dell with his double against Liverpool in March 1984, including an overhead kick which was voted goal of the season.

He was one of the only set of three brothers to play in the same team in the modern era when he appeared for Saints alongside Rodney and Raymond in 1988 against Sheffield Wednesday.

He joined a very select band of players to score on both his England under-21 and full international debut.

And when he finally left Saints for Manchester United after a decade spent delighting The Dell, it was for a then club-record fee of £1.2m.

"Playing with my brothers was incredible - but it must have been hell for the commentators!" he says.

"For my mum and dad it was a very proud day. My dad died not long ago and it was great that he could have seen that."

Wallace played under the most successful managers in the history of both Saints and United in McMenemy and Ferguson.

Of the man who has reigned at Old Trafford since 1986, he says: "His Scottish accent, like Lawrie with his Geordie accent, was quite frightening - especially when he got really close to you after you had a bad game.

"I had the hairdryer treatment a couple of times and I saw it several times with other players.

For those unfamiliar with some of the legendary stories regarding Ferguson, the 'hairdryer' treatment is when the Manchester United boss gets so close while shouting he literally dries your hair!

But the respect Wallace has for his former manager is obvious and he adds: "He was very strong and looked after his players. He used to know everything they were doing, he was always on their backs, day-in, day-out, making sure they didn't get into any trouble.

"But it was great for them and they appreciated it. He made them into superstars."

The highlight of Wallace's time at United was certainly the Wembley FA Cup final of 1990, when he made the equaliser to force a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace to set-up a replay which they eventually won.

Unthinkable now, but at the time it was widely speculated that Ferguson would have been sacked if his first trophy for United hadn't been secured that season.

I put that to Wallace and he grins: "That would make a good headline - I saved Sir Alex Ferguson's career!"

As we make our way back to the car, his mind was clearly racing at all the memories which had come flooding back during the past hour or two.

"Crazy days," he smiled. "I can't believe all that was me, I still pinch myself." Then he stopped. "Do people in Southampton still really remember me?"

Remember? I was dumbfounded. He was part of the team which came within a whisker of dethroning Liverpool for the Championship in 1984. He played in two FA Cup semi-finals for the club.

With the exception of Matt Le Tissier, he was probably the best creative talent Saints have had in the past 20 years.

Remember? He is a Saints legend. So I told him so.

Danny's eyes briefly welled-up and a smile again lit up his face.

"Thanks," he said. "You don't know how much that means."

With that, we said our goodbyes, he slowly manoeuvred his way back into his car and disappeared into the night.

And then a thought occurred to me.

People often say it's so sad when you see the likes of Muhammad Ali, Michael Watson and even Danny Wallace.

They say they thrilled millions in their prime, with skill and achievement beyond the dreams of the average sports fan and now they struggle with everyday tasks.

But meeting Danny makes you realise this is the wrong way to look at it.

Sport came easily to these people - they were naturals.

But it shows real courage to face-down illness and disease, to confront people's prejudices, to open the front-door and step out of the sports bubble. To get on with life.

Danny Wallace might have played football for Saints, Manchester United and England, but now he faces a bigger challenge. The good news is that he realises it.

Tickets are now on general sale for the Danny Wallace Testimonial which will see a host of star names turning out.

It should be a memorable evening as Saints take on an All Star team which will feature many household names.

John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Gary Pallister, Paul Ince, Paul Gascoigne, Ian Wright and Viv Anderson have also pledged to play along with Danny's twin brothers Rod and Ray.

Former Saints stars Dave Beasant, Tim Flowers, Jimmy Case, Le Tissier, Francis Benali, Russell Osman and Kevin Moore have also put their names forward. Former Saints boss Gordon Strachan is also expected to play.

The exact line-up will not be known until nearer the time depending on fitness and availability.

Admission is £15 for adults, £5 for senior citizens, disabled and children under 16. MS sufferers are admitted free.

Tickets are available now on 087 0220 0150 or online at www.saintsfc.co.uk.