BLACKPOOL football legend Sir Stanley Matthews is one of the favourite names being considered for a new memorial statue outside the new Wembley stadium.

The game's governing body, the Football Association, is proposing to conduct a national poll of the nation to find out which player they think should be immortalised.

It's reported that the ground's owners are considering setting aside three tons of debris from the demolished twin towers to construct the monument, which will be erected on the approach to the £760m, 90,000-seat arena when it opens in 2006.

The great Sir Stan, who played for Blackpool between 1947-1961 and who enjoyed two spells with Stoke City, will face competition from other footballing heroes including Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore.z

Former England stalwart, Moore, who won 108 international caps and was captain of the national team when it won the World Cup for the only time in 1966, is thought to be the FA's favourite for the tribute.

But Bryan Shaw, chairman of Stoke City Supporters' Club, believes Sir Stan would be in with a good chance.

"I think Sir Stan is the ideal man, simply because of his reputation worldwide and that he's played football for so long and never been booked," he said.

"He's played for Stoke City as well as Blackpool so he would have two sets of supporters voting for him. He's liked by everybody in this country and abroad, that's something you haven't got with a lot of footballers."

On 6th February 1965 Stanley Matthews became the only man over 50 years of age to make an appearance in the First Division, when he played his last game for Stoke City against Fulham. He had celebrated his birthday five days earlier.

Matthews - nicknamed "the Wizard of Dribble" - made 54 international appearances in a career cut short by the war.

He is most famous for his appearance in the 1953 FA Cup Final, in which he inspired Blackpool to a 4-3 victory over Bolton Wanderers after being 3-1 down. Despite a hat-trick by his teammate Stan Mortensen, the match has gone down in history as the "Matthews Final".

He had never won an FA Cup Winners Medal and the whole country (apart from Bolton!) was willing him on to victory.