THE Manchester United side gave a young Wear Valley footballer a day to remember when he walked out with his heroes on to the Old Trafford pitch.

Kristian Iceton, aged 11, from Coundon, teamed up with his idols David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and the rest of the squad when he was chosen by the Reds as mascot for a home match against Southampton.

His parents Joan and George and 14-year-old sister Charlotte were in the stand to see him lead out the players and kick a ball with members of the team.

Kristian has been a fan since he was tiny and remembers match statistics for the last ten years.

He is a pupil at Bishop Barrington School and plays for St Mary's Under 12s in the Teesside Alliance League.

Mrs Iceton said: "He has always wanted to play for Manchester United so this was a dream come true for him.

"After the match he was able to get some of the players' autographs. It was a fantastic day. We were all overwhelmed by it."