Two former Workington Reds favourites are ready to return to Borough Park.

Ex-skippers Steve Birks (pictured) and Will Varty are both champing at the bit to pull on the red shirt again for the west Cumbrians.

But before supporters go all dewy-eyed it should be noted their respective returns to action are on a once-only basis.

Both players have agreed to represent the Workington Reds Select lining-up against the Liverpool Legends at Borough Park in the charity game on Sunday, July 26.

Birks, a fireman in Fleetwood, has successfully organised his shift patterns to be clear to add his combative style to the Workington squad. With another former Reds skipper John Reach already committed to playing, the home side will have two iron men in the engine room. How can anybody play through these two?

Last season Birks was briefly with his local Fleetwood side in Blue Square North but by the time he watched Reds lose at Highbury on Boxing Day he was a free agent.

“I’ll be speaking to one or two managers in this area to look at getting some pre-season games and take it from there,” said the 35-year-old midfielder.

Birks had followed ex-manager Tommy Cassidy to Newcastle Blue Star but then moved back to Fleetwood with his work.

“I’m really pleased to have been asked to play in this prestige game. It will be great to come back to Borough Park because I have so many good memories of playing there,” he said.

It’s ten years almost to the day since Will Varty moved from Carlisle United to Rotheram after playing 79 times for the Blues.

He only stayed a short time before returning to Carlisle and was then loaned to the Reds in 2001 before signing permanently.

A solid, dependable figure at the back he was a lynchpin for Tommy Cassidy’s successful sides before deciding to quit the game in 2005 because of family and work commitments.

Like Birks, an ex-skipper, Varty was also delighted to get the call and said: “I haven’t played for a while now but I keep myself in shape through running and I’ll step-up the training ahead of the Liverpool game.”

Tickets for the game go on sale this coming week and the night-time dinner is virtually a sell-out already, such has been the interest.

The Liverpool Legends are set to include the likes of Bruce Grobbelaar  , Alan Kennedy, John Aldridge, Phil Babb, Gary Gillespie and Jason McAteer.
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