A FOOTBALL-MAD Leyland schoolboy had the trip of a lifetime when he travelled to Wembley to lead his England heroes out onto the pitch.

Over-the-moon 12-year-old Adrian Ward landed the honour after winning a competition in a national newspaper.

He travelled to London on Wednesday (Feb 11) and walked out on to the famous turf alongside the country's international stars before their game against Chile.

The lucky Leyland St Mary's pupil also enjoyed a stay in the Wembley Hilton with his dad and met former soccer great Geoff Hurst.

And the excitement didn't stop there. On the way back from the game the next day the pair, who live on Langdale Road, bumped into soccer legend Sir Tom Finney, and chatted to him at Crewe railway station.

Dad Stephen said: "It was an excellent day. To say we both really enjoyed ourselves would be an understatement."

Adrian and five other winners wore specially designed kits, which they later got to keep, and carried out the Snickers Fair Play banner before the Wembley game. The competition was organised by Snickers who are official sponsors of the 1998 World Cup and sponsor the Fair Play programme which is aimed at promoting a hard, fair game for both players and spectators.

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