PETER Reid has promised he will assemble a quality squad for the England Legends side that will contest the Alan Ball Memorial Cup at St Mary's next month. The former Saints midfielder and Manch-ester City, Sunderland and Coventry boss will manage the England side against a team of Scotland legends on Thursday, May 15.

Reid has already managed to secure the services of Paul Merson, Ray Parlour and Lee Sharpe.

He is hoping to sign up a number of other big names, including one or two well-known to Saints fans.

"Paul, Ray and Lee are the only ones I know of up to now, but rest assured it will be a quality side," he says. "I'm hoping the likes of Matt Le Tissier will be available to don the England shirt again. I will be speaking with Matt in the next few days."

Reid managed the England Legends side that won last year's inaugural Alan Ball Memorial Cup, beating a Rest of the World team 4-2 at MK Dons.

The games are always a fantastic spectacle, he says.

"The Legends games are always good football matches, and this will be no different.

"The game at MK Dons produced a fantastic turnout.

"It's for a good cause, it's in a fantastic stadium and it will be a really good family night out.

"Even though all the lads have finished their professional careers, they have kept fit and it will be very competitive.

"They might not be able to move as quickly as they once did, but they still have a lot of ability."

He adds that there will almost certainly be a bit of "extra needle", with Scotland being the opponents.

"It's our old adversaries. I would say there is a healthy respect, but you never lose the competitive edge between England and Scotland."

He believes it will be a particularly special night because of the legend in whose memory it is being held.

"When I was a kid, I was fortunate enough to watch Alan in that great Everton side," he says. "And when I was a young player at Bolton, Alan was coming to the end of his career at Southampton, but I played against him on numerous occasions.

"He was a fantastic player and competitor and possibly one of the best one-touch players I have ever seen."

For full story see today's Daily Echo.