RADCLIFFE BOROUGH are in safe hands -- now that Alex Ferguson has joined their ranks, writes STEVE BOTT

Premiership titles, FA Cups and European Champions League trophies will be adorning the shelves at Stainton Park before too long now that Fergie's in town.

The Boro may have to wait a bit, because this Alex Ferguson is just eight years old, so he has quite a lot of catching up to do yet before he can really have a go at emulating his famous namesake down the road at Old Trafford. Young Alex is a Ramsbottom-based defender who has just joined Radcliffe Borough Juniors. He turns out for the Under-10s E team, which is actually the Under-9s, and has enjoyed a fair bit of success already.

Alex attends Hazelhurst Primary School on Geoffrey Street in Ramsbottom and his favourite team is . . . Bolton Wanderers, well someone's got to support them, heaven knows they need it!

Eidur Gudjohnsen was Alex's favourite player before he jumped ship at the Reebok to join Chelsea -- talk about from the frying pan into the fire!

His top manager is -- surprise, surprise, Alex Ferguson, and although Alex junior's family tree doesn't stretch much farther than Bolton, he was named after his great grandfather, who was born in Barrow-in-Furness up near the Lake District before he too moved to the land of the Trotters.

Now Alex just wants to help Boro's juniors win things -- and, as for football managament, well, he's going to leave that to Alex senior . . . for the next two years at least!