SOUTHAMPTON star Peter Crouch is set to become the first Macclesfield-born footballer to play for England.
The beanpole striker has been selected for the mini-tour of the United States later this month.
Crouch was born in Macc before moving down south with his family as a youngster.
Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to call up the 6ft 7in hitman, who has scored 16 goals for the relegated Saints, will make him the first player born in the town to represent England.
The former under-21 international Crouch moved to Ealing, London, in his formative years where he was spotted by QPR.
He played for the Loftus Road side as a schoolboy before Rangers manager Gerry Francis took him with him when he was made Spurs boss.
Crouch never played in the first team at White Hart Lane and moved to Portsmouth before Graham Taylor signed him for Aston Villa for £5 million.
After an unhappy spell at Villa Park, Crouch has been a huge success at Southampton - and his form has put him in line for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
While Crouch will be the only Macc-born player to be picked by England, he is not the first to gain international recognition.
That honour was Northern Ireland's Chris Nicholl. The ex-Aston Villa and Southampton defender played 51 times for his country between 1975 and 1984.
There are others with Macclesfield connections who have played on the world stage, most notably Arsenal and England star Lee Dixon.
The Congleton-born full-back, capped 22 times by his country, learned his trade with Priory County's all-conquering junior set-up.
Ex-Silkmen player and boss Peter Davenport also represented England in a glittering career which included spells with Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, while fans favourite Efe Sodje, now with Yeovil, and George Abbey have both played for Nigeria.
If you know any other Macclesfield-born players who have played international or top-flight football please email the sports desk at: maccsport@gmwn.co.uk .
