 ‘IF THE service had been on the moon, I would have made it there,” said Evertonian David Fehily, a season ticket holder since the age of 15 – like his father and his grandfather before him. We were on the near five-hour train journey from Lime Street to attend the funeral at Winchester Cathedral to one of the greatest Evertonians of them all, Alan Ball, who died at the age of 61 last week. Due to illness David, 43, missed his first game in 24 years last Saturday against Manchester United when the Goodison faithful paid their emotional tribute to the white-booted, ginger haired little dynamo. Consequently, he was deter-mined the marathon journey would not be a barrier to him paying his last respects to the footballing hero. “He was just a legend and a great fella,” continued the full -time carer who looks after his 94-year-old grandmother, Peggy, who went to every home game until she reached the age of 86. “The players of today are just not the same as the likes of Bally. Rooney kissing the United badge in front of the Everton fans . Bally would have never done anything disrespectful like that to the fans. For today’s players, it’s all about the dough – Bally would never have thought of that.” Beating his fist into the chest emblazoned with a yellow Everton away shirt from the early ’70s signed by his hero, he declared: “He played from here – from the heart.” Among the other Blues making the pilgrimage were 62-year-old John Gray, from Fazakerley, and Sybil Bergman, a 53-year-old civil servant from Wallasey. “He was my idol of all time,” said Sybil, as the tears welled up in her eyes, while John added: “I cried last Saturday the same as I cried when he left the club.” There were more tears to come – but not too many as the day was made for a celebration of a life lived to the full. The sunlight shimmered down on 2,000 or so mourners who gathered outside one of England’s oldest and most beautiful landmarks. There were just as many clustered inside but, despite the numbers, there was a perfect silence before the ceremony began. ALONG with the fans were many of Britain’s vintage football talent – Ball’s contemporaries who, like him, could be considered true legends. It would be hard to imagine any of today’s superstars receiving the same heartfelt and affectionate homage once it becomes their time to meet their maker. They included many of the World Cup winning team of 1966, of which Ball at 21 was the youngest member – Liverpool’s Roger Hunt, the Charlton brothers Bobby and Jackie, Everton’s Ray Wilson and goalie Gordon Banks. Other legends included Ian Callaghan, Denis Law and Francis Lee. | 
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