THE magic of the FA Cup came alive in Bolton today as dozens of youngsters got their hands on the famous trophy.

Former Wanderers player Tony Kelly was at the Reebok to greet fans as the cup came to town.

The Football Association and FA Cup sponsor, E.ON, launched a unique nationwide tour of the FA Cup aimed at giving young fans the chance to sample the history, heritage and magic of the world’s most famous domestic cup competition.

The interactive tour is a journey reliving the most memorable goals, shock giant-killings and classic Cup Final triumphs from the past 128 years.

Visitors also followed in the footsteps of Wembley legends, by scoring the winning goal in a virtual FA Cup final and then touching the FA Cup which were filmed and can be downloaded from the internet.

Scott Fitzsimmons, aged 11, who plays for the Wanderers Academy, loved touching the FA Cup.

The youngster, from Sharples, said: “This is the dream one day, to be able to lift the cup.

“It was bigger than I expected and a fantastic experience to be able to touch it.”

Daniel Liddell, aged 12, from Sharples, said: “It was good fun scoring the penalty kick and I am looking forward to watching it back.”

Lewis Kennedy, aged eight, from Bolton, got an extra special treat as he was leaving the FA Cup tour.

He said: “We saw some of the players getting on the bus to go to Sunderland and I got Nicky Hunt’s autograph which was fantastic.”

His sister Beth, aged 13, added: “Holding the cup was great, it looked different to how it looks on the television.

“I hope Bolton have a good cup run this season.”

Tony Kelly said: “I love the FA Cup. This is the first time I have held it, you normally only get to see it at Wembley.

“The tour has been fantastic and it was a great opportunity for the children.”