Leicester's Director of Football will stand up after tonight's Bradford Park Avenue Sportsman Dinner at the Midland Hotel and regale the expectant throng with soccer

anecdotes.

No doubt cockney legend Dave "Harry" Bassett will entertain those present with stories of dressing-room antics, on-field exploits and hilarious one-liners.

The majority of the stories will doubtless involve tales of well-known players at his former clubs Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Barnsley, Crystal Palace and Watford.

Most of the subjects of the stories will be Football League players, managers or officials we have heard of.

But get the man away from the top table and he will talk until the Milton Keynes concrete cows come home about his love of the non-league game.

As a former amateur international, amateur cup winner with Walton & Hersham, and centre back with Wimbledon, the club he then managed to First Division glory, Bassett certainly knows his part-time football.

"I love the whole of non-league," said Bassett, a friend of Avenue's vice-president John Helm through his media work and Helm's coverage of Blades matches when Bassett was boss.

"I was with Chelsea but they released me because they didn't think I was good enough to so I went into non-league.

"It is a great place for players who can't quite make it but still love their football.

"And there is a splendid empathy with the fans, a closeness that you don't get at the higher levels of the games. I have nothing but fond memories of those days."

Apart from his blunt cockney charm, Bassett is probably best known for his management of the Crazy Gang and the rise of Wimbledon from the Southern League to a sixth-placed finish in Division One with victories at Old Trafford, Highbury and Anfield under their belts.

And he believes, doubtless to the delight of Avenue fans, that ascent from part-time to full-time is easier now than ever before.

"Taking Wimbledon up was harder than it would have been now," said Bassett, who admits that he would still go back to management given "the right club, at the right time".

"In those days you had to be voted in and we were top of the Southern League three times, and had great FA Cup adventures against Leeds and Middlesbrough, before we got in.

"Now, thanks to the new pyramid system, it is a lot more straightforward. Things have changed a lot in the game with money, but it is possible to make that step-up without too much problem.

"If all the things John (Helm) tells me about the club are true then there is no reason why they shouldn't do it.

"I'm not saying anyone will do a Wimbledon again, I think that was unique, but they could certainly get in there. Wycombe have settled nicely in Division Two, so why not Bradford."

Why not indeed.