CHRIS WADDLE, Kieron Dyer and Marco Gabbiadini are among the Premier League team, managed by Sir Geoff Hurst, who will take on Darlington on Sunday at Blackwell Meadows in the Marathon Bet #NonLeagueChallenge, a day that will also see a team of former Quakers heroes roll back the years.
The game is Darlington’s reward, as well as £20,000, from Marathon Bet for winning a competition to find the best goal celebration in non-league last season.
Striker Reece Styche jumping into a pile of snow after scoring against Chorley in January won an online vote, resulting in Darlington being given a one-off game against some well-known names from the Premier League era.
Frank Sinclair, a Chelsea defender in the 1990s, and Phil Babb, who played for Liverpool and Coventry, among others, are the latest to add their name to the Premier League squad list.
Many of the players have a North-East connection, such as former Newcastle United pair Dyer and Ruel Fox, while ex-Sunderland players include Marco Gabbiadini, Micky Gray, Babb, David Preece and Julio Arca.
Arca also had a spell with Middlesbrough, as did George Boateng, Danny Mills, Luke Young, Jeremie Aliadiere and Yakubu, all of whom will be putting the boots back on at Blackwell.
Waddle, of course, played for both Newcastle and Sunderland, and as well as becoming a hero at Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday the winger was also in the England team which reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup.
Sir Geoff was part of the only England team has gone further, famously scoring a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final win over West Germany.
He will manage the Marathon Bet team, which will also include Jay-Jay Okocha, Clinton Morrison, Muzzy Izzet and Alan Stubbs.
They will play against Quakers’ first-team in the first 45 minutes, with a side of Darlington heroes providing the opposition for the second half.
Quakers boss Tommy Wright will be in the Darlington Legends side, managed by Craig Liddle, which features members of the 2011 FA Trophy-winning team: Liam Hatch, Chris Moore, Jamie Chandler and Chris Senior, who scored the never-to-be-forgotten winning goal in the dying seconds of extra-time.
Robbie Painter, a favourite at Feethams in the mid-1990s, will play, as will a handful of players from Darlington’s post-2012 era: Peter Jameson, Graeme Armstrong, Leon Scott and Amar Purewal
Plus, two Darlington fans, Michael Barrass and Michael Matthews, will also play having successfully won an auction to take part.
Kick-off is 2pm on Sunday and fans can pay on the gate, with admission £10 for adults and £5 concessions.
Marathon Bet #NonLeagueChallenge Legends
Sir Geoff Hurst - manager
David Preece
Russell Hoult
Danny Mills
Luke Young
Matt Elliott
Alan Stubbs
Phil Babb
Micky Gray
Frank Sinclair
Chris Waddle
Kieron Dyer
Julio Arca
George Boateng
Muzzy Izzet
Ruel Fox
Jay Jay Okocha
Jeremie Aliadiere
Yakubu
Matt Jansen
Marco Gabbiadini
Clinton Morrison
Darlington Legends
Craig Liddle – player/manager
Robbie Painter
Amar Purewal
Liam Hatch
Alan White
Tommy Wright
Graeme Armstrong
Leon Scott
Chris Moore
Peter Jameson
Chris Senior
Micky Cummins
Jamie Chandler
Plus two fans who successfully bid for places:
Michael Barrass
Michael Matthews
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here