A FORMER school pal of troubled singer Pete Doherty has told how he played alongside the star in the school football team.

Dean Daniels, 26, says he knew Doherty when they were in the same Year 9 form tutor group at the Blandford School.

In those days Doherty was a keen QPR fan and played for two youth football teams - the RBL (Royal British Legion) under-13s team and the school football team.

Doherty came from an army family who lived at Blandford Camp. When Doherty's father was posted elsewhere, Dean lost touch with his friend.

Accountant Dean, of Preetz Way, Blandford, said: "He certainly wasn't like he is now. He was a bit of a swot. I knew him when he was between about 12 to 13. He was only there for Year 9.

"In that particular year Pete achieved the most merit marks in the whole year."

"We used to play football together as well. He was shy and retiring. He certainly wasn't an extrovert like he is now.

"The only interest I remember him having was QPR the football team. He would follow them all over the place from Manchester to wherever they were playing."

When asked what career path the young Doherty hoped to follow Dean said: "I would have thought he wanted to play football. He scored a lot of goals. His dad had a camper van and used to drive us to football in it."

Dean only realised that Doherty was his former school chum when he saw the singer pictured with his band Babyshambles in a national newspaper.

He said: "When he was in the Libertines I didn't pay him any attention. Then one day we were talking about him and someone said 'that's Pete Doherty from Blandford'.

"Then I saw his picture in the Sun and I thought 'that's the guy I was at school with'.

"He looks the same as he did back then but a bit paler."

Pete Doherty has recently been in the limelight for his on-off relationship with supermodel Kate Moss and for his use of drugs. He also appeared on stage with Elton John at the Live8 Make Poverty History concert in Hyde Park in July, singing a version of T-Rex's Children of the Revolution, accompanied by Elton John on piano.

First published: September 6, 2005