When Des Walker was in his pomp the cry from Nottingham Forest supporters was repeated often.

"You'll Never Beat Des Walker."

And most of the time they were right. Walker, a hero of Italia 90, had explosive pace and covering skills that made him the most formidable defender of his day.

Now the legendary star, who hung up his boots as recently as 2004, will be wearing the familiar white shirt of England once more when their Legends team face Ireland at Craven Cottage on Thursday, October 9.

Two other former Forest players are also in the latest string of players announced for the match - midfielder Steve Hodge and goalkeeper Chris Woods.

And the former Spurs and Liverpool striker Paul Walsh, now a respected Sky Sports pundit, is also in the squad.

The quartet join former Arsenal trio Paul Merson, Ray Parlour and Nigel Winterburn alongside Manchester United duo Bryan Robson and Lee Sharpe.

The current confirmed Republic of Ireland squad contains Manchester United full back Dennis Irwin, Arsenal and Crystal Palace midfielder Eddie McGoldrick, Charlton midfielder Mark Kinsella, Middlesbrough defender Alan Kernaghan and West Ham, Newcastle and Sunderland striker David Kelly.

The addition of the England quartet takes the average age of The England Legends to 43 against The Republic of Ireland’s 40.8. In terms of experience, the Republic also has the edge.

The England Legends average 24.3 international caps per player against Ireland’s 34.2.

The England team will bring to the game 219 international caps against Ireland’s 171.

Tickets for The Legends: England v Ireland are £14 for adults (over 16) and £8 for OAPs/Students, plus booking fee and available from Fulham Football Club’s Box Office on 0870 442 1234.

Transmission for The Legends: England v Ireland will begin on ITV4 at 7pm. All Legends football games operate a ‘Kid-A-Quid’ scheme; all children under 16 will gain entry to The Legends for just £1.