THOUSANDS of fans turned out to see England's legends take on their Scottish counterparts at St Mary's last night.

It proved to be an evening and a result the great Alan Ball would have loved.

A good late surge of ticket sales saw Saints' ground half filled for the match in which Peter Reid's England side triumphed 2-0 over the Auld Enemy, managed by Graeme Souness, for the Alan Ball Memorial Cup.

Read the full report in today's Daily Echo

The game seemed a welcome release for the many Saints fans in the ground, a game they could actually relax and enjoy after such a tense end to a disappointing season.

An enjoyable evening got off to a poignant start with a minute's silence for Celtic legend Tommy Burns, his death particularly touching for many of the Scottish team who had a close association with him over the years.

The English and Saints fans were remembering their own hero, the brilliant Bally, and before and during the game the little man's name was chanted around St Mary's.

Bally would have loved the fact that both teams didn't just turn up for a kick about and an exhibition match but took it seriously and wanted to win - and it was England who came out on top.