RYDER Cup captain Sam Torrance has hailed readers of the Manchester Evening News and our website for backing the charity soccer match to raise cash for the dependents of firefighters killed by terrorists in New York.

Already, 5,000 tickets have been sold for the event at the M.E.N. Arena on Friday, October 19, at which Salford's international sensation Russell Watson will sing.

Golf star Sam took a break from the World Matchplay Championships at Wentworth, to give his backing to the event. He said: ''It is an excellent initiative and I am delighted at how things are going.''

Sam refuses to be downhearted about the Ryder Cup postponement and said: ''Such a fund-raising event set up by a newspaper for such a worthwhile cause is a great idea - it has my wholehearted support and I wish it every success.

''The whole reaction from around the world to what we saw in America has been incredible, although hardly surprising.

''We simply have to help because such a disaster should not have happened to anyone, anywhere.''

Tribute

Meanwhile New Jersey fire chief William Wiley has saluted the United Kingdom's ''great people'' for supporting America.

Wiley and his fellow firefighters saw the carnage in New York at first hand - they were part of the rescue services.

He said: ''Immediately after the terrorist attack we asked ourselves: ''What now? Who do we turn to?''

''We wondered 'Who will come to our aid?' I soon found out who would come - it was the great people of the UK.

''They have rushed to our cause offering emergency service personnel, medical aid and military support.

''Our brother firefighters on the other side of the ocean were feeling the same pain and the same sense of frustration as us.

''The horrible feeling of not being able to help our brother firefighters that were trapped was frustrating. It was obviously felt by firefightings in Great Britain.

''I want everyone to know how thankful we are. I must confess that after 21 years in the fire service I never thought that the Brotherhood of International Firefighters would be pulled together so tightly.

''In these past few weeks I have learned of the strength of brotherhood among firefighters in the UK.''

The Manchester Evening News has organised the event with the help of Greater Manchester Fire Brigade and a wide range of public and commercial organisations.

The legends teams will be managed by Kevin Keegan and Sir Alex Ferguson, with stars such as Bryan Robson and Willie Donachie agreeing to take part.

Soap stars including a Coronation Street team will take part in a curtain-raiser. JD Sports boss John Wardle - a former fireman - is paying for Union and Stars and Stripes flags to be distrubuted to the 17,000 capacity crowd.

Keegan has agreed to provide a training day with the Blues' first-team squad as one raffle prize and there will be a luxury package for two to see Manchester United away in Europe, with a signed England shirt, courtesy of the Nationwide Building Society, top holidays and an original drawing from Salford artist Harold Riley also on offer.

Thanks to the generosity of SMG (Europe) the M.E.N. Arena is being donated free of charge and profits from the NCP car park and food sold on the night will go to New York.

The hotline number for tickets is 0161-930-8000