It's a dream come true for one Bees fan who has claimed a place on the bench for Saturday's friendly match with the Gunners, which was auctioned off by the club.

Steve Pankhurst, co-founder of the Friends Reunited website, has already met with his team-mates for a training session after securing his place in the squad for £5,500 and on Saturday he'll receive his real prize, a guaranteed subs appearance against Weneger's boys.

Pankhurst, 39, enjoyed last week's run-out with his heroes in training, but can't wait for Saturday to come when he'll be trying to match World Cup winners, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.

"It was a great experience," he said. "I felt like I was back in the school football team. Trying to get near the Barnet players during training was hard enough, so I would expect the Arsenal players to run rings round me.

"I will be aiming to get as close to Henry as possible, but whether I can is another matter," he said.

Not only will Pankhurst, who's been a fan of Barnet since the days of Barry Fry, by up against some of the Gunners' superstars, he will also be involved in all the pre-match build-up, including Barnet manager Martin Allen's team talk and a pre-match meal of beans on toast.

But will nerves get the better of him?

"I just hope my legs don't turn to jelly," he added.