TOWN could well come up against an old foe when they head to Hucknall Town to continue their pre-season preparations tonight.

Andy Legg might be closing in on his 41st birthday and have survived cancer, but the Watnall Road player-manager is still going strong.

Town first encountered the former Welsh international midfielder when he was emerging at Swansea in the first half of the Nineties.

He was in the Swans side which defeated Neil Warnock’s Town on penalties in the Autoglass Trophy final at Wembley in 1994.

Legg went on to play for Notts County, Birmingham, Reading, Cardiff and Peterborough, where he cut his teeth as a coach.

But his world was turned upside down in March 2005, when a lump in his neck was found to be malignant.

Thankfully, Legg was treated successfully, and was able to pull on his boots again, playing for League of Wales side Llanelli.

He joined Nottinghamshire club Hucknall, who play in the Northern section of the Conference (now called the Blue Square North) early last season, and was made player-manager in January.

But the proud Welshman was allowed to answer an SOS call from Llanelli earlier this summer.

With injuries stacking up at the South Wales club, he returned to figure in the second leg of their Intertoto Cup tie against Lithuania’s FK Vetra, who are currently involved in a two-legged showdown with Blackburn.

Legg, well known for his prodigious long throw, helped Llanelli win 5-3, but they went out on away goals after the tie finished 6-6 on aggregate.

Now his full focus in on Hucknall, who have taken huge strides forward over the last 20 years.

Formed in 1945 as Hucknall Colliery Welfare, the club, nicknamed after their yellow kit, were renamed in 1987, when they played local league football in the Notts Alliance.

They won promotion to the Central Midlands League in 1989 and after three seasons, progressed to the Northern Counties East.

Promotion to the UniBond League was achieved in 1999, and after consolidating their status (former Town striker Phil Starbuck was boss between 2001 and 2003), Hucknall won the UniBond title, and a place in the new Conference North, in 2004.

It would have been the national Conference had their ground met the necessary criteria.

Improvements have been made in the intervening years, and Hucknall have high hopes of maintaining their progress up the Football League pyramid.

Tonight’s will be their second pre-season run-out against league opposition, following Peterborough’s 3-1 win at Watnall Road last week.

Hucknall beat Matlock Town 1-0 at Watnall Road on Saturday.