FOOTBALLING greats from the North-East's top five clubs are lining up to help the family of a tragic ex-player who met a violent death last month.

League rivalries will be set aside for the night when veteran stars turn out for a game which is officially between Gary Walton's former club, Newcastle United, and a combined Sunderland and Middlesbrough XI, but is stacked with big names from the region's soccer elite.

Chris Waddle, Sunderland manager Peter Reid, his assistant Adrian Heath, Middlesbrough's Bernie Slaven and Jim Platt, the Riverside club's chairman, Steve Gibson, Hartlepool manager Chris Turner and Darlington's new boss Gary Bennett have all agreed to play a one-off match, at Spennymoor United's ground on September 14.

They are turning out to provide a brighter future for Gary's little girls, Laura, 11, and eight-year-old Kara, and their mother Susan, from Coundon, County Durham.

As a 17-year-old, Gary - whose body was found in the garden of the Miner's Arms pub in Coundon last month - showed enough promise to be voted Newcastle United's top young player, scoring 39 goals in one season with the reserves.

Although he never made the first team, the forward stood out in the memory of senior players of the day like Waddle and another prolific scorer, Gary's friend Alan Shoulder.

Mr Shoulder and other friends from the Coundon area have set up a memorial fund, backed by the village working men's club and pubs in Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor.

They have printed 5,000 tickets for the big match and enlisted ex-Sunderland star Mick Horswill to arrange the teams.

George Courtney, once regarded as one of the world's best referees, will be in charge.

He said last night: "Even though I have known hundreds of young players, Gary stands out because of the sheer force of his personality.

"He was a big, strong, bustling striker, with a wonderful sense of humour. He was quite a character, full of fun and full of humour.

"I remember him vividly from when he was a young boy and later when he played for local teams. He didn't cause one problem on the pitch. What happened to him was terrible."

Anyone wanting to support the fund should contact Coundon Working Men's Club. Match tickets are £2, telephone Alan Shoulder on (01388) 601253