Former Northern Echo football writer Ray Robertson recalls the time he was handed a tricky task - tracking down the genius that was George Best.

It was ahead of Jim Platt's testimonial game at Ayresome Park in 1981.

Jim, a fellow Northern Ireland international, saw in a Sunday newspaper that George had returned to the country from America and got in touch with me straight away on the morning.

'Can you find him for me,' he asked. 'Jesus!' was my reply. After all, how do you track down George Best?

It was one hell of a task, but I set the ball rolling by contacting three good journalist friends of mine, who may have been able to put me in touch with him.

However, they all said the same thing: Don't touch him with a bargepole. He won't turn up.

But Jim was very confident that if I could put George in contact with him, he would turn up for the game.

To be honest, tracking down a character like George Best was a thankless task.

I remember his agent once telling me that he was the sort of individual you could lose between getting out of a taxi at a hotel and walking into the reception area!

But at about 10pm on the Monday night, he promised to be there for the game.

The Northern Echo ran a big story on it, but I think other newspapers didn't handle it so big because there was always that element of doubt.

Jim was elated with the news and the message came through that he would catch a plane from Heathrow to Newcastle.

There was lots of publicity about his arrival, but Jim was apprehensive. Apprehensive but hopeful if you like.

He was at Newcastle waiting Best's arrival and a girl came running through to tell people that George Best was on the plane. Until that moment, I don't think we ever believed he would be there.

But he played in the game and really showed his class. I approached him after the game and asked him about what he wanted for turning up.

All he asked for was his air fare. He was staying with family in Southend at the time and he paid himself to get across to London and out to Heathrow.

I always remember after the game that Eric McMordie, who knew George from Belfast and Manchester United, asked him which nightclub he wanted to go to.

His answer was that he just wanted to go back to his hotel!