Simon Whaley was the star of the show on Monday afternoon - though unusually it was an off-field performance that earned him the accolades on this particular occasion.

Though you can normally rely on him to be adept in pressure situations during a game, he admitted during a question and answer session with youngsters at Kennington Primary School that when playing he's "not as nervous as when standing up in front of a group of children"!

Whaley, it seemed, was being somewhat modest, as he answered questions with aplomb during a visit arranged in conjunction with his sponsor, Lancashire County Council Road Safety Group.

The winger admitted some interesting secrets to the children aged between four and 11, telling them the worst injury he's even sustained was a broken leg at the age of 15, and claimed that he'd probably be a fireman if he hadn't taken the path of becoming a professional footballer.



He also revealed to the excited youngsters that he drives a Range Rover and believes that the most embarrassing moment of his career so far was the fateful afternoon he missed a penalty against Portsmouth in the FA Cup earlier this season.

Thanks to the generosity of Lancashire County Council Road Safety Group, 25 lucky pupils from the school will now be attending this weekend's home clash against Ipswich Town with a parent or guardian. The 50 match tickets provided as part of the player sponsorship package have been bundled up into pairs and will be raffled off within the school this week.

Whaley also took time out to pose for photos with some of the children and Vivien Clayton, representing the LCC Road Safety Group, as he handed over his signed home and away jerseys from the current season.