Rio Ferdinand repaid a favour and helped to make Mel Machin, Bournemouth's director of football, around £100,000 richer. A near capacity 8,300 crowd turned up at the Cherries' new three-sided Dean Court stadium - they do not have the funds to build the fourth - for the testimonial game. But for the presence of Manchester United's £30 million man, it might have been a lot smaller.
When Ferdinand was a 17-year-old West Ham reserve still living with his mum in Peckham, then manager Harry Redknapp sent him to the South Coast team to make a man of him. Machin was in charge at Bournemouth at the time and he guided Ferdinand through 10 matches on loan as the youngster learned the hard way how life in the lower divisions can be tough.
That was in 1996. Within a year Ferdinand was playing for England but he never forgot Machin's shrewd coaching or kind words at a vulnerable stage in both his career and his life off the field. As a result, on signing for Manchester United, Ferdinand asked Sir Alex Ferguson if he could take part in Machin's testimonial.
The crowd, not used to seeing so many top-class players on show, had to wait until deep into the second half for his debut, and so their attention settled on United's Juan Sebastian Veron. After a disappointing World Cup the Argentine's fitness is in doubt as is his Old Trafford future if reports of a swap with Lazio's Hernan Crespo are to be believed.
Here at Dean Court though, Veron showed no signs of his alleged Achilles problem neither did he lack incentive in a lazy, laid-back first half. One of United's more committed players, he was at the heart of all the visitors better moves, including a swerving 25-yard free-kick that was saved by Rhys Evans in goal, one of three trialists in a Bournemouth side with an average age of 20.
Bournemouth gave as good as they got before the break and deserved their lead on 25 minutes when Warren Feeney, a former team-mate of Ferdinand at Leeds United, dispossessed Michael Stewart and set up an easy chance for Hull City reject Adrian Cateres to slot home.
They were in front for just seven minutes though when a back heel from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was played through for Veron who scored with a low right-foot shot to equalise.
Carl Fletcher put the home side ahead again after the break before Ben Muirhead equalised on the hour and Stewart scored what proved to be the winner just six minutes later.
Ferdinand finally came into the action for the last 17 minutes to the biggest cheer of the afternoon and a barrage of photographers, not normally seen at this bright new ground. His first task in a Manchester United shirt was to mark Danny Bloomfield, a teenager released by Norwich City at the end of last season and one of some 600 players still looking for employment for the upcoming campaign.
At the end, Ferdinand went over to where the United supporters had been sitting to be greeted with a standing ovation while he signed autographs and waved. At the same time, the public address announcer was pointing out the Cherries first home game of the new season was on 13 August against Kidderminster Harriers.
As the south coast club now look to the immediate future and try to scrape together enough money for their new stand as well as finding ways of fending off their £3m debt, Ferdinand swept out of the ground and away to begin his new life up north at Old Trafford.
Bournemouth: Evans (Stewart 45), Young (Elliott 45), Tindall, Broadhurst, Purches (Thomas 75); C Fletcher (Narada 75), O'Connor (Maher 45), Hayter (Connell 45), Caceres (Bloomfield 45); Holmes (Saadi 45), Feeney (Foyewa 45).
Manchester United: Carroll, Lynch, O'Shea, Silvestre, Pugh, Muirhead, Veron, Stewart, Giggs (Nardiello 84), Solskjaer, Djordjic (Ferdinand 73).
