DANNY Wallace said he was "blown away" by the spine-tingling reaction he received from the Saints crowd prior to Saturday's match with Bolton.

The 40-year-old, who is now suffering from multiple sclerosis, admitted there was a tear in his eye as the two teams former a guard of honour for him.

The former winger was diagnosed with MS in 1995, but has only recently really come to terms with a condition which means he can only walk with the aid of a stick.

Wallace was one of Saints' most exciting ever players, making more than 300 appearances for the club during a golden decade between 1980 and 1990.

Of Saturday's standing ovation, he said: "I had no idea what to expect, but that was something else.

"I always had a great rapport with the fans who are very special here and I must admit their reaction made me well up a bit.

"It was great to be back.

"The club has moved on so much since I played here. They now have a fantastic stadium and a terrific set-up.

"When I was at The Dell I could never have envisaged the team would one day be playing somewhere like St Mary's, so full marks to the chairman.

"The result was disappointing but I was blown away by the way the fans responded.

"It was a wonderful and very emotional moment for me."

Wallace has been granted a benefit game on May 17 at St Mary's when Saints will play an All Star XI.

Tickets are now on sale to members, priced £15 for adults, £5 for children, disabled and seniors and free to MS sufferers.

They will go on general sale on May 10.

A host of stars are expected to feature including Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, John Barnes, Kevin Keegan, Matt Le Tissier, Gordon Strachan and Bryan Robson.