SAINTS star David Prutton has made an unlikely bedtime confession. The 23-year-old footballer is an Enid Blyton fan.

Prutts, currently serving a ten-match ban after shoving the referee during Southampton's 1-1 draw with Arsenal in February, was asked to name his favourite book for a new family literacy campaign.

Instead of choosing a gripping thriller or something sci-fi, the midfielder revealed his softer side by opting for Enid Blyton's The Folk of the Faraway Tree as his best ever bedtime read.

Prutton, who joined Saints from Nottingham Forest in January 2003, is pictured above with a copy of his favourite work. He said: "Books formed a major part of my childhood.

"My mother and father used to read to me, my brother and my sister. One of my favourite bedtime books was The Folk of the Faraway Tree, along with The Famous Five, also by Enid Blyton.

"Those books really fired my imagination. Losing yourself in a book transports you to a different world. That's why I still enjoy reading today."

The Saints star, who is keeping his fingers crossed that his team will avoid relegation from the Premiership, joined forces with other leading footballers for the Premier League Reading Stars campaign, aimed at encouraging families to read together.

A series of family reading groups will be held at libraries across the country as part of the initiative.

Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: "These footballers, through this scheme, are opening the door to family reading and improved literacy by showing that books of all different types are fun and accessible.

"Anything that gets more people reading and using their local library is positive."