FOOTBALLING legends spanning six decades swapped stories over dinner at the Reebok Stadium last night.

Some of the most famous names to play the game were present at a gala dinner to raise money for former players of Bolton Wanderers, Manchester United, Manchester City and Everton.

Sir Tom Finney, Bryan Robson, World Cup winners Alan Ball and Jack Charlton, and Manchester City's legendary goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, were among those present, mixing with nearly 400 diners at the event, which was backed by the Bolton News.

The night raised thousands of pounds for former footballers and their families who have fallen on hard times, with raffle items donated by such sporting luminaries as Pele, Ronaldinho, Freddie Flintoff and Amir Khan. The highlight of the evening was a special question and answer session with the legends, hosted by BBC Sport presenter and Fame Academy star Ray Stubbs - which gave the former footballers a fitting stage to air their many anecdotes and stories from down the years.

Speaking to The Bolton News, former Everton defender Derek Mountfield explained why such events are so vital to the footballing community.

"In 10 years time, players will have enough money to take care of themselves in retirement, but those who were not fortunate enough to earn the kind of wages they do today will not," he said.

"It's important that events like this continue to be held, and the response from the Bolton public has been nothing short of magnificent."