NAT Lofthouse jetted home from the South of France today to lead the emotional Farewell to Burnden.

The legendary Bolton Wanderers president is in the middle of a spring break on the Riviera, where he has been recuperating after a recent operation on his knee.

But nothing could keep him away from tonight's Charlton game when the curtain falls at the end of 102 years of football at the famous old stadium.

The Lion of Vienna, now 71, will team up again with the players he captained to FA Cup glory in 1958 in a pre-match parade of ex-Wanderers.

After the game he will accompany club chairman Gordon Hargreaves in a symbolic transfer of the centre spot from Burnden to the Reebok Stadium before flying back to resume his convalescence with his son, Jeff and daughter-in-law in Antibes.

Nat, who has spent more than 60 years as fan, player, trainer, coach, manager, scout and president at his beloved Burnden, said: "I've got my hankies ready.

"I'm as excited as the next man at the prospect of kicking off in the new Reebok Stadium as a Premiership club again.

"But there will be tears shed when the last ball is kicked here and it won't just be the ladies who'll be crying."

More than 40 former players and managers, spanning seven decades, will join the parade of Wanderers favourites.

Ernie 'Alphabet' Jones, the Welsh international winger who made his Bolton appearances in wartime games and went on to play for Swansea, Spurs, Southampton and Bristol City, will be the oldest at 76.

Joining Nat in the parade of the stars will be the Wembley winners of '58, including Eddie Hopkinson, Roy Hartle, Tommy Banks, John Higgins, Bryan Edwards, Brian Birch, Dennis Stevens, Ray Parry, Dougie Holden and semi-final hero Ralph Gubbins and from the 1953 'Matthews Final' Malcolm Barrass and Harold Hassall.

Danny Murphy, who played alongside Lofthouse on the afternoon of the 1946 Burnden Disaster, will make an emotional return along with Harry Webster and Harry McShane from the early 50s.

Sixties and 70s stars will include Freddie Hill, Syd Farrimond, Warwick Rimmer, Dave Hatton, Gordon Taylor, Roger Hunt, Ronnie Phillips, Peter Thompson, Roy Greaves, Peter Nicholson, Ian Seddon, Paul Jones, Garry Jones and Willie Morgan and from more recent years Dave Felgate, Derek Scott, Tony Caldwell, John Thomas, Julian Darby, Jeff Chandler, Owen Coyle, Andy Walker and Alan Stubbs.

Old heroes Frank Worthington and Sam Allardyce will be on broadcasting duties at the match, as will 70s boss Jimmy Armfield, who will be joined by former managers John McGovern and Bruce Rioch.

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