ONE-TIME Bournemouth DJ Terry Slade could not believe his eyes when he looked across a football crowd leaving the England v Tunisia match in Marseilles and spotted his old mate John Thompson whom he had not seen for years.

That was back at the time of the World Cup in France in 1998 and they joined together for a great night to celebrate the England win.

And then lost touch once again. Now Terry, who used to DJ in top spots like Madison's, Zig-Zags, Clouds and Poet's Corner, is hoping to track down that man Thompson once again.

"I was in and around the Bournemouth area from 1986," said Terry, who can be contacted via email on aoyv86@dsl.pipex.com

"In the second year that I lived in the area I met John, a keen Everton supporter, whilst playing Sunday league football for a division 9 or 10 side, 2CI Strollers.

"In the first two season we played I was top scorer in our side with the ridiculous total of something like 60 goals... but in the second season John did the business with the same sort of total!"

Around January 1990, however, Terry, moved back to West London and lost contact with John... until that England match at the Vellodrome in Marseilles eight years later.

"What a wonderful day. We won 2-0 and everyone was in a great mood as we left the stadium. All of a sudden I noticed somebody I knew about 40 yards ahead of me. To make sure I wasn't seeing things I made a point of saying a name out loud: 'Oy! oy! John Thompson!'"

And it was. It was a night to remember, said Terry, now 40. "The trouble was that during the haze that was World Cup France 1998 we lost track of each other again!"

And haven't seen each other since.

During his time living in Bournemouth made a bit of star featuring a number of times in the Echo's pages... for all the right reasons.

l In October 1985, for example, he rescued a pup that bolted across the Wessex Way and was hit by a car breaking its leg.

l In November 1986 he made the front page after tackling two men after cash was snatched from a Boscombe off-licence.

l And a month later he was back in action tackling a blaze at an Indian food shop in Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth.

"I made so many good friends, many of whom I lost contact with," he said. "Whatever happened to DJ Paul Brady? DJ Mike Artwell? A very good friend Romeo Fruelli ? And I was very good mates with Steve Elford."

Today Terry lives with his partner and four sons aged 21,19, 12 and five.

As well as John and the other lads from 2CI Strollers (that was run by Two Counties Insurance), Terry also recalls another player from a rival side.

"In that first year with the team I was having a friendly competition with another player from another team to see who could score the most in a season. His name was Jimmy Gibney... and as I recall he won our little rivalry."