FILM fans caught an early glimse of Britain's latest blockbuster movie when football flick Goal! premiered in Bolton.

Dozens of people were invited to the charity premiere of the Danny Cannon film at the Cineworld cinema, in The Valley, Astley Bridge.

And, although the red carpet was not rolled out, among those who turned up were Bolton Wanderers stars Kevin Davies and Henrik Pedersen, as well as Bolton South-east MP Dr Brian Iddon. It was only the fourth time the film had been shown ahead of its general release on Friday, September 30, since premiering in London last week.

Goal! follows a young Mexican illegal immigrant, played by Juno Becker, from his youthful dreams of being a professional footballer to him signing for Newcastle United. It also stars ex-Brookside actress Anna Friel, from Rochdale, and has guest appearances from famous footballers including England captain David Beckham, Newcastle striker Alan Shearer and French World Cup winning captain Zinedine Zidane.

The film is part of a £100m trilogy largely shot on Tyneside with the producers hoping Goal! will do for football what Rocky did for boxing. It was produced with the blessing of FIFA and in conjunction with the Kick Racism Out Of Football campaign.