British Army v The FA Legends
4pm, Saturday 18 May 2013
The Madejski Stadium, Reading FC

Excitement is already building ahead of the charity match between The FA Legends and British Army in May.

Roy Hodgson will take charge of the Legends, with Stuart Pearce managing the British Army at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday 18 May with all proceeds going to Service charities.

And with a list of players including Matt Le Tissier, Ledley King, Paul Merson, Gary Neville, Dietmar Hamman and Jens Lehman in his squad, England boss Hodgson is already looking forward to the game.

He said: “It’s great when you’ve got a chance to do something for charity and a game like this will be enjoyed by everyone.

“The Legends will be happy to get their boots on again and it will be a great opportunity for the Army players to play at a Premier League ground against many players they will have watched.

“I would rather have had Stuart playing for us than coaching the other team, but the Army stole him from us so we’ll have to find another replacement for him!

“But otherwise, we’re looking forward to the game.”

And that replacement could be Pearce’s former rival for the England left-back spot, Graeme Le Saux, who is hoping Hodgson’s tactical nous can see them past an undoubtedly fitter Army team.

The former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers man told FATV: “The first 15 minutes will be fantastic from the Legends’ point of view, but we could find ourselves on the wane after that.

“Roy Hodgson is our Manager so I’m hoping he can out-wit Stuart Pearce and the Army team.

“So what we lack in fitness, we can make up tactically and technically we will be relying of Matt Le Tissier and Paul Merson to shine.”

England Under-21 manager Pearce has had a long-standing affinity with the British Army, regularly taking his squads to visit barracks in the past.

And he’s looking forward to taking charge of the Army team against some of his old opponents and team-mates.

Pearce added: “It’ll be a fantastic occasion.

“I turned down the opportunity of taking the Legends to make sure I was involved with the Army!

“I think the links that we’ve had between The FA and the Services – and we’re talking generations here – have been fantastic.

“So the opportunity to be involved with the Army side is something that I jumped at.

“The game will be well supported and we’re raising money for Service charities which is fantastic.

“And you’ve only got to look at the list of Legends that have put their name to the game already.”

Tickets are keenly priced at £12 (£6 for concessions) and can be purchased from the Reading FC ticket office on 0844 249 1871, or by clicking here.