MOST football fans have dreamed of running out onto the pitch with their team's shirt on their back.

For two lucky amateur teams that wish came true when they became the first fans to take up an offer to hire out the Reebok for a match.

A team arranged by Bolton's TV and Video Direct, otherwise known as "The Darbs", took on a group of friends from the Heaton area who named themselves "Premium Geest".

The price tag may have been hefty at £1,500 per team but others are queuing up to become "professional footballers" for the day.

Matthew Brown, aged 25, director of TV and Video Direct, got "The Darbs" together. He said: "I am a big Wanderers fan and I saw this advertised in the match programme. We used to have a Sunday League side and I thought it would be great to get a few lads together to play at the Reebok. It was a dream come true. To actually walk out onto the pitch and play a full game is the experience of a lifetime."

Captain of the other team was Michael Duckworth, a 21-year-old administrative assistant who got his team's original name from a brand of bananas.

He said: "It's a lot of money but it's worth every penny. Everything was laid out for us, we got to use the changing rooms and had our name on the score board."

"I didn't want the day to arrive in a way because I knew it would soon be over." But for a handful of players it was a day of mixed emotions.

Phil Standish, a 32-year-old TV engineer from Tyldesley, said: "I am a United fan along with a few others here. It was a painful experience putting on the shirt but to get the chance to play on a professional pitch was an unmissable experience."

Lisa Whittaker, corporate sales executive at the Reebok, said there had been a high level of interest in the novel idea.

The deal includes use of dressing rooms, official Wanderers kits, team programmes, a video screen displaying the score, after-match buffet, and commemorative photos.

"We've got two teams from the Royal Bank of Scotland playing each other at the end of May and several other corporate customers have booked.

"It's great for the club and a wonderful day for the fans. We try to treat them really well to make it an extra special experience."

The final score may have been 4-3 to Premium Geest, but the day was a winner all round for the fans.