A FANATICAL football fan got the chance to meet up with his heroes when he came face to face with United stars Wes Brown, Alan Smith and manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

But he was not as overawed as you may expect - for they were all under 16-years-old and were standing at either end of a Subbuteo table.

Ryan Jarvis, aged 13, of Westhoughton, received his call-up to the special Dream Team along with 10 other youngsters who share the same name as their Premiership heroes

Ryan made the grade thanks to Norwich City's 18-year-old sharpshooter Ryan Jarvis who is fast becoming an upcoming talent for the Canaries in the Premiership.

Other stars included 15-year-old Alan Smith from Dublin, 13-year-old Jamie Caragher, from Formby, Merseyside, 14-year-old Mark Delaney, from Liverpool and 10-year-old Andrew Johnson from Manchester. And of course Alex Ferguson, aged 13, from Paisley.

The youngsters were given the VIP treatment at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium to help to launch the new Subbuteo game which features a new concept showing actual footballer's faces on the miniature players.

Ryan, who attends Westhoughton High School, took part in a tournament against his fellow squad members. He started confidently, knocking out 10-year-old Paul Robinson in a penalty shoot-out.But he finally succumbed to Aston Villa namesake, 14-year-old Mark Delaney.

Ryan said: "It's the first time I've played Subbuteo, but I'll carry on playing it when I get home. It's an easy game to play, but it's certainly not going to replace my PlayStation 2!"