FORMER Grimsby Town boss George Kerr is anticipating the "long-overdue" reunion of his championship-winning side this week.
Kerr, 70, will return to Blundell Park on Friday evening for the special event, which has been organised by the Mariners Trust.
It will bring together staff and players from the famed side that won the 1979/80 Third Division title by three points from second-placed Blackburn Rovers.
Joe Waters, who captained the team, will jet in from America to attend the event, which has been staged to raise money for the club's Youth set-up.
As well as his old skipper, Kerr right, will be joined by players such as Kevin Drinkell, Tony Ford, Terry Donovan and his former boss John Newman, who Kerr succeeded having previously worked as his assistant.
And speaking to the Telegraph, Kerr says he's looking forward to getting that 'fantastic' squad back together – at long last.
"It's 30-odd years since we won that championship," he said. "If the second reunion takes as long to come around, I'll be 103!
"You're talking about a fantastic, fantastic side and one of the best in Grimsby Town's history.
"Lawrie McMenemy's team is obviously up there as well as mine and John Newman's.
"John is coming down on the night as well as Joe Waters, who is coming all the way over from America, which is fantastic and it will be great to see them all.
"I insisted on John coming to the evening because he not only built that side up but also brought me to the club.
"We got an automatic promotion from the Fourth Division in the first season I was there but that was down to John.
"When he left at the end of the season to go to Derby County, I was left on my own to look after things during the close-season but eventually, I was made manager," he recalled.
"So we set off in the Third Division and got through to November.
"I still believe to this day that if we hadn't beaten Gillingham in that month, I would have been down the road with the heave-ho.
"But we won the game 1-0 and then I don't think we lost for something like 17 or 18 games.
"We also had a good run in the FA Cup and went to Liverpool when they were winning the European Cup so many times.
"We took 25,000 people there and it was a great occasion but we got turned over like you wouldn't believe.
"Back then, people didn't mess about with squad rotation, it was their first team with great players like Kenny Dalglish and Graham Souness.
"We lost 5-0 and they were different class.
"But Bill Shankly came up to me afterwards and said 'forget that, you were playing the best team in Europe – I am telling you, you are going to win the Third Division championship' – and we did.
"Looking back now, you think, how did he know that?!"
As well as raising money for the Youth system at Town, the event will also remember the life of Kevin Moore, who played under Kerr with distinction.
As reported, Moore died last month after a long battle with Pick's Disease – a rare form of dementia.
Kerr added: "Obviously we lost Kevin last month and that's really sad because that's been going on for a number of years and his was a terrible illness.
"It will be nice to remember him on the night – he deserves that.
He added: "It's all raising money for the Youth set-up and I think it's a really good thing – especially because many of the players in that team were young fellas that had come through the system.
"We built players that went on to the 'big time', like Kevin, who went on to play for Southampton and Kevin Drinkell who could have gone on to play anywhere.
"I'm really looking forward to it. It should be an enjoyable evening."
Tickets are priced £20 for members and £25 for non- members. For more information, visit www.marinerstrust.co.uk
