Liam Bridcutt was the Real deal for Poyet’s Brighton

LIAM BRIDCUTT won back-to-back Player of the Season awards at Brighton and later went on to captain Leeds United.

The diminutive midfielder was a stand-out defensive midfielder who Seagulls supporters took to their hearts.

He was pivotal to the new style of play Gus Poyet introduced, sitting in front of the back four, and comfortably acting as the conduit for the side’s highly effective passing game.

Having been brought through as a youngster at Stamford Bridge, he had witnessed close up the role Claude Makelele executed so efficiently for Chelsea, and, when his former Stamford Bridge colleague Poyet gave him an initial five-month contract at Brighton, he seized the chance.

“Chelsea made me the player I am today and they gave me the best of everything in terms of facilities and training with some of the biggest names in football,” he said shortly after signing for the Albion.

“My favourite player was Dennis Wise. I always wanted to be like him in that central midfield role. Then, as I got older, the team changed and it was Makele who I watched. Chelsea wanted more of a Makele player out of me.”

With so many star names ahead of him, it was inevitable Bridcutt would have to look elsewhere to progress. Initially he went on loan to Watford, managed by Brendan Rodgers, who he’d played under for Chelsea’s youth side and reserves.

“I played in some really big games, jumping from reserve football – full of kids and not that physical – into games where players are literally fighting for their careers,” he said.

“My first game was against Doncaster, where I was named Man of the Match, and then it was Spurs in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup. I was up against Jermaine Jenas and Jamie O’Hara. I loved the adrenalin and pushing myself against all these players.”

It meant he didn’t fancy returning to reserve football and went out on loan again, playing more than 20 games for Stockport County in League One – including being sent off playing against the Seagulls! “It was another good learning curve for me,” he said.

When released by Chelsea, he had trials at Crystal Palace, Wycombe Wanderers and Dagenham and Redbridge – without success – but Chelsea let him return to train with them for three weeks and, during that time, Ray Wilkins suggested him to Poyet, who gave him an initial five-month contract to show what he could do.

After his debut against Orient, he told the matchday programme: “The manager has been saying to me that he needs a player in there who can control the game, break things up and play. I aim to prove I am that player.”

Mission accomplished, Bridcutt earned a two-year deal and he told the Argus: “It was one of my goals when I first signed here, to get a longer deal, and I’ve done that.

“I have been rewarded for my hard work. All I’ve got to do now is settle down and think about my future and look forward to next season.

“There was no hesitation from me really. I want to be here as long as I can. I can see what Gus has done here is brilliant. It’s a big club on the way up, so I was more than happy to sign.”

Bridcutt helped Albion win League One and is particularly remembered for a stunning long-range volley at Withdean on 5 March 2011 that proved to be the winner in a 4-3 win over Carlisle United. He was also on the scoresheet when Albion twice came from behind against Dagenham and Redbridge and eventually won another 4-3 thriller to clinch promotion back to the second tier.

Comfortably taking the step up in class in his stride, Bridcutt was pivotal to Albion reaching the Championship play-offs, but, after Poyet’s departure, rumours began to swirl that the young midfielder would follow him to the north east.

It didn’t happen immediately but, after handing in a transfer request, he finally made the move in January 2014 after featuring in 151 games for the Seagulls.

Given the opportunity to reflect on that time, Bridcutt admitted to the excellent podcast Football, the Albion and Me that he should never have left but, at the time, he didn’t feel the Albion did enough to persuade him to stay when Premier League and Championship clubs were sniffing around.

“Because they had so many good offers, they didn’t try to keep me,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave the club. I was very much happy there. But at the time I had other offers. The club knew about this and were back and forth with other clubs and turned down lots of offers.

“All I wanted was to be rewarded for the time I had given to the club,” he said, maintaining that, regardless of Poyet going, he wanted to part of the club’s long term goal of getting to the Premier League.

Scotland cap

In March 2013, Bridcutt’s consistent Albion form earned him a call-up to the Scotland international squad. Newly appointed manager Gordon Strachan gave him his first cap against Serbia, although the 2-0 defeat ended the Scots’ hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, and Bridcutt collected a booking in the 77^th minute.

It wasn’t until three years later, during his spell at Leeds, that Bridcutt earned his second and only other cap. It came when he was a second half substitute in a 1-0 win over Denmark and some observers considered Bridcutt lucky not to see red for a robust tackle in the game at Hampden Park.

Although born in Reading, on 8 May 1989, he qualified to play for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born grandfather.

In July 2021, Bridcutt gave an illuminating and excoriating insight into his move and time on Wearside to a Sunderland podcast.

He recalled how on the day he signed for the club Poyet called him at midnight informing him he’d be playing the next day in the Tyne-Wear derby game and, before putting the phone down, said: “You better not be shit because I’ve pushed hard to get you here!”

Thankfully, Bridcutt had an outstanding debut in place of the injured Lee Cattermole in a 3-0 win for the Black Cats over their arch rivals.

Poyet purred: “Liam Bridcutt knows the defensive midfielder role I want us to play perfectly. So I was not worried.

If there’s one person that knows the role better than anyone else in the world, it is Liam and the best thing for him is that we won, we kept a clean sheet and he got through 90 minutes having not played all month.”

Poyet was rarely shy in singing Bridcutt’s praises, once telling the Mail: “If I was coach of Real (Madrid) I would take him because he deserves to go to the highest level.

“As a holding midfielder, there is no better player in the division. The best thing about Liam is that he understands me to an incredible level. The way he understands what I want from him is spectacular.”

However, Bridcutt reckoned a lot of players Poyet inherited at Sunderland were scared to play the sort of football Albion’s players had readily embraced and he also questioned their professionalism, saying: “It was almost like he (Poyet) was fighting a losing battle because there was literally lads out every other night and you could see that in our performances. We were terrible.”

Supporters piled on the pressure too and, although Bridcutt reckoned he could cope with the barbs, someone like Marcos Alonso responded badly to the stick but proved he was a decent player after he moved to Chelsea.

After keeping Sunderland in the Premier League against the odds, Poyet signed a new two-year contract in May 2014 but was sacked the following March. His successor, Dick Advocaat, froze Bridcutt out and, eventually, in November 2015, Steve Evans took him on loan at Leeds United.

In the early part of 2016, ahead of playing against Brighton at the Amex, Bridcutt confessed he’d be open to a return to the south coast. He told the Argus: “It was probably my best period in football. That was my opportunity to properly showcase what I could do and I had brilliant times there.

“I know the place well and I’d call it home. My first child was born there and it’s where my family started. It’s where my career really started and it’s a club where, if there was the right opportunity to go back at some stage, I definitely would.

“Even when I first joined, the club always had direction. There was always a plan. Nothing happened by accident. They hit a bit of a rocky patch after losing Gus (Poyet) but, like most clubs, it happens. They seem to have got their stability back. I’m happy to see that.”

As it was, Bridcutt stayed at Elland Road until the end of the season and, after Garry Monk’s appointment as manager, he was signed on a permanent basis in August 2016. A month later he was appointed Leeds captain, taking over the role from Sol Bamba.

A delighted Bridcutt said: “It’s a real honour, the manager has shown great faith in me by giving me the captaincy.

“It puts a little bit more pressure on me but that’s something I like. I’ve always been a player that’s thrived under pressure, and I think that’s the way to get the best out of me.”

Unfortunately a broken foot saw Bridcutt miss a large part of the season and the managerial revolving door at Leeds saw Monk replaced in the summer of 2017 by Thomas Christiansen.

After 53 games for United, Bridcutt also found himself heading for the exit, joining Mark Warburton’s Nottingham Forest on a three-year deal for a fee thought to be around £1m.

Former Forest favourite Garry Birtles was suitably impressed by the new signing, telling the Nottingham Post: “He’s 28 so you’d think he will hit his peak for Forest, having signed a three-year deal.

“He was Leeds United’s captain last season as they finished in seventh place in the Championship. I saw him play for Leeds and, I have to say, he was very impressive. He’s got that creative ability, and his all-round game was good.”

While Bridcutt played plenty of games under Warburton, when another managerial change saw the arrival of Aitor Karanka, his game time dried up.

Bridcutt spent the first part of the 2019-20 season on loan at League One Bolton Wanderers, where he was made captain by boss Keith Hill, and was reunited with former Albion and Sunderland teammate Will Buckley.

But after his recall to Forest in January 2020 he was then dispatched on loan to Lincoln City for the remainder of the season.

It wasn’t long before Bridcutt was captaining the Imps and in August 2020 he joined them on a permanent basis after his Forest contract expired.

Injury sidelined Bridcutt from Colin Appleton’s side as Lincoln beat Sunderland over a two-legged League One play-off semi-final in May 2021 but Bridcutt skippered the Imps as they narrowly lost 2-1 to Blackpool in the final at Wembley.

Ahead of the Sunderland clash, Lincoln fan Gary Hutchinson, of The Stacey West Lincoln fan website, told SB Nation Roker Report: “I love Bridcutt. He is the pivot around which our entire side function. Playing in the four role he picks the ball deep, protects the back four and is always willing to add to an attack. There are options in the middle of the park – Jorge Grant usually deputises there and Max Sanders who recently signed from Brighton is the long-term heir-apparent for Bridcutt.”

Released by Lincoln at the end of the 2021-22 season, Bridcutt, aged 33, was eventually reunited with Appleton at Blackpool; his signing on a one-year contract for the Championship side announced on 30 September 2022.

“I’m excited to be here and working with the manager again,” Bridcutt told the Blackpool website. “He was brilliant for me over the last two years – he put a lot of trust and faith in me.

“We’ve got a good understanding in terms of what he wants from his teams and his players day-to-day. I get that and it’s how I work and how I’ve always worked. He knows what I’m like and what he can get out of me.”

Appleton added: “We know the quality and the experience he’s got – at Premier League and Championship level – and he’s a fantastic character who will also bring a lot of things off the pitch as well. His addition will be a real plus.”

Craig Noone bounced back after Heighway heave-ho

PACY SCOUSE winger Craig Noone was a born entertainer who bounced back from early rejection by Liverpool to make it all the way to the Premier League.

Brighton in the Championship under Gus Poyet provided the former roofer with a platform to showcase his ability before Cardiff City gave him the opportunity to perform at the top level.

After he’d scored (below) and impressed in an away game at Manchester City, then newly-appointed Cardiff boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “Noone is a terrific little player.

“He causes defenders problems with his pace and his technique; he can go inside and outside. He’s got a good left foot, but he can cross it with his right.”

Born in Kirkby, Liverpool, on 17 November 1987, Noone was on Liverpool’s books between the ages of eight and 11.

“I was spotted playing for my Sunday team St Peter and Paul and I used to train at Melwood a couple of times a week – it was unbelievable,” he recalled. “We wore the cream and black training kit and I loved every minute. I was a big Steve McManaman fan, the way he ran at players, and would try to do the same.

“Unfortunately, when I got to 11, Steve Heighway called one night to say that I wasn’t good enough to stay on – I’ll never forget it.”

Noone would eventually get to play on the hallowed turf of Anfield, but not on behalf of the home side.

It was New Year’s Eve 2010 that he joined Brighton, making his debut four days later in a 2-1 win away to Exeter City, where he’d spent six weeks on loan the previous year.

Poyet had admired the winger’s attributes up against Inigo Calderon in one half and Marcos Painter in the second during the Seagulls’ 2-0 win at Plymouth three months earlier, Noone discovered from another Argyle player, Ashley Barnes, who’d scored against his old club that day.

“Barnesey later told me that the management thought I was a good player and had mentioned me a lot in the half-time team talk,” he said. “When Brighton made their interest official, I didn’t have to think twice. The manager, the team, the stadium…it ticked all the right boxes for me.”

The slightly built Noone swiftly endeared himself to the crowd with jinking runs at pace and it was perhaps inevitable that the fans would adapt for him the chant more widely associated with England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

More a provider of chances for others than a goalscorer, ‘Nooney’ made 10 starts and 13 appearances off the bench as Poyet’s Seagulls romped to the League One championship title, getting his first goal in a home 2-0 win over Colchester United at the end of January, followed by one of Albion’s four in a convincing win over Hartlepool United on 12 February.

The highlight of the following season for Noone was Albion drawing Liverpool in cup games; not once, but twice. In the League Cup at the Amex, Noone put in a man-of-the-match performance as Albion narrowly lost 2-1 to the Reds.

Four years previously, Noone had been working on the roof of an extension at Steven Gerrard’s house, but in the post-match TV interview for Sky Sports he was stood alongside the Liverpool captain.

“It was his comeback match after injury and he gave me his shirt,” Noone told the Liverpool Echo. “To do the Sky interview alongside him afterwards was unbelievable for me. He said I deserved to be man of the match because I’d caused Liverpool a lot of problems.

“For him to say that made me really proud, especially when I think about where I’ve come from. It wasn’t long ago I was playing non-league football part-time and working as a roofer. That puts into perspective how far I’ve come and sometimes I have to pinch myself.”

Indeed, Noone’s resilience and ability to bounce back from adversity did have something of a Roy of the Rovers feel to it. After the disappointment of not progressing at Liverpool, Noone nonetheless did get to play representative games at Anfield: for Merseyside Schoolboys in the final of the National Cup against Bedfordshire.

“I scored to make it 1-0 in front of The Kop and it was an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “That was the only part of the ground open to spectators and I had all my friends and family watching. We went on to win the game 3-1.” He also played for Myerscough College in the National Colleges Cup final, again scoring in front of the Kop.

Non-league Skelmersdale United guided Noone from their youth team through to the first team. In early 2007, he had a trial at Royal Antwerp, a feeder club for Manchester United, but it wasn’t until November that year that he started to climb the football pyramid.

He was 20 when he stepped up two divisions to Blue Square North neighbours Burscough in exchange for experienced non-league striker Kevin Leadbetter. A regular for Burscough under Liam Watson, Noone followed the manager to Southport in June 2008.

He made his debut for Southport on the opening day of the 2008-09 season against Gainsborough, watched by the Plymouth chief scout Andy King, the former Everton striker. After the game, King approached him and told him to expect a call. Sure enough, the following Tuesday, the Devon club made contact and he was soon on his way for a £110,000 fee.

“Craig comes to us with a glowing reputation,” said Argyle boss Paul Sturrock. “It is now up to him to prove that it is merited. If he shows me he can make the step up to the Championship, the door is open for him.”

With Plymouth battling to stay in the division, Noone struggled to get games under his belt initially and was sent on loan to Exeter to gain some league-playing experience. But an intended three-month arrangement was cut to only six weeks by Sturrock, and he returned to Home Park and became a regular until his transfer to Brighton.

The least said the better about the FA Cup fifth round clash when the Seagulls were thumped 6-1 at Anfield. Noone only got on as a substitute, but the pre-match hype gave him the chance to tell his story to the Echo and he said: “I’m loving it at Brighton. I’m learning all the time and Gus is unbelievable to play for. His coaching is spot on and he’s made me a much better player.”

Indeed, Championship football didn’t faze Noone and, with the close season departure of Elliott Bennett to Norwich City, it presented him with the opportunity to start 21 games (coming off the bench in a further 16 matches) despite the addition of another wideman in Will Buckley.

He was also a popular character in the dressing room, having inherited a sense of humour from his dad, Steve, a part-time stand-up comedian. Skipper Gordon Greer said of the winger: “He’s a real top guy. He’s a great laugh and a really good personality to have about the place. He does some hilarious things and that really adds to the good atmosphere we have about the place.”

However, Noone’s performances didn’t go unnoticed by others and promotion-chasing Cardiff tested Albion’s resolve to keep the winger by offering £500,000 for him in January 2012. Albion rebuffed the approach and, in March, extended Noone’s contract until June 2015 with manager Poyet declaring: “He was a key player for us in the second half of last season and has already established himself as a top Championship player.”

A satisfied Noone told the club website: “I set my sights on a long-term contract so I’m very happy to get it sorted, because this club is going from strength to strength.

“We have a few wingers here but we all have our individual qualities and the way this team plays lets me express myself on the pitch. This contract shows that the club has confidence in me and I’m very happy here at Brighton.”

However, just a matter of days after playing for Brighton against Cardiff in a 0-0 draw at the Amex at the start of the new season, Noone was on his way to Wales when the Bluebirds doubled their previous offer to £1m, and Malky Mackay got his man.

“They matched my ambitions to get to the Premier League as quickly as possible,” said Noone, who appreciated their persistence in trying to sign him. “It’s a shame the move didn’t happen in January because I would have liked to be here and settled, but I enjoyed my time at Brighton and wouldn’t change that.

“But Cardiff are better equipped than Brighton to go up after going so close and not quite making it. Hopefully this time we will do it. I’m a Cardiff player and want to do the best I can.”

Noone played 25 times (plus six as a sub) and scored seven goals as Cardiff went up as Champions, while Albion slipped up in the play-offs, so making the switch certainly worked in his favour.

City went straight back down after one season in the Premier League, but Noone managed 15 starts plus eight appearances as a sub. He spoke to the matchday programme about how tough it had been to force his way into the side and said: “When you’re not playing it can be frustrating, but you have to take a step back and take a look at your situation. If I’d have been moaning and groaning, I don’t think I would have lasted long here.”

He was in Cardiff’s midfield when they lost 3-1 at Liverpool on 21 December 2013. The BBC report of the game noted: “Cardiff started the game promisingly and went close early on when a swift counter attack resulted in Mutch playing a ball though to Craig Noone, whose 22-yard shot was palmed over by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.”

He was not involved in the return match in March when Liverpool thumped City 6-3, by which time Solskjaer had taken over the reins.

Apart from the individual goal against Manchester City that had Solskjaer purring, Noone also enjoyed a FA Cup third round match away to Newcastle United on 4 January 2014 when he scored from distance a minute after coming on as a late substitute, when City were 1-0 down.

Fellow substitute Fraizer Campbell scored a winner, turning the lead in City’s favour only seven minutes later. The victory proved historic, because it was the first time the Bluebirds had won at St James’ Park since 1963.

Noone’s humble journey back into the game meant he was always happy to contribute to community activities too and he was named Community Champion by Cardiff City FC Foundation for his inspiring involvement in its futsal programme.

His voluntary efforts, also recognised by the PFA, included taking part in classroom sessions before leading pupils in practical lessons.

He somewhat modestly said: “I’ve been in the classrooms with the young lads and girls as well. I’ve just been helping them out and giving them ideas of what it feels like to come into football late, the way I did.”

Cardiff’s website said of him: “Having risen from non-league football to the Premier League, Craig Noone has shown what a player can do for a club both on and off the pitch, and is remembered fondly by the Bluebirds faithful for his part in helping the club soar to historic new heights.”

In March 2015, Noone leapt at the chance to play at Anfield again, all in a good cause, when he was part of Jamie Carragher’s team against a Steven Gerrard side in an All Star Charity match.

Noone spent five years at Cardiff, scoring 19 goals in 170 appearances, but in the summer of 2017 manager Neil Warnock went public in suggesting the winger should look for another club. That move came in September 2017 when he joined fellow Championship side Bolton Wanderers on a two-year deal. He went on to score twice in 65 games for Bolton, where he once again found himself lining up alongside Buckley.

In 2019, Noone went Down Under to continue his career, linking up with A-League side Melbourne City FC, one of the sister clubs to Manchester City – the team Aaron Mooy was playing for before he returned to England.

“It’s a big life-change, but it’s something that I’m looking forward to,” he told a-league.com/au. “I like a challenge. The previous clubs I’ve been at it’s always been a challenge, whether it’s going for promotion or staying in the league.”

City football boss Michael Petrillo said of the new signing: “Craig is a creative, pacey wide player who, after playing at the highest level in the UK, will bring a lot in experience and threat to the team.

“Craig is a proven goalscorer and provider who is just as comfortable cutting inside and shooting from range as he is at linking up with his fullback and delivering dangerous crosses.”

After two years with Melbourne, Noone switched to Macarthur FC in South West Sydney for the 2021-22 season.

• Pictures from Albion’s matchday programme and online sources.

One of Guardiola’s first City signings never played for the club

AARON MOOY spent a year as a Manchester City player without playing a game for the club and left Brighton only seven months into a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Such is the at-times puzzling nature of moves in the modern game where multiple club ownership is a factor and players have release clauses inserted into contracts before they’ve set foot onto the field for their new club.

Having starred for City’s sister club Melbourne City in his native Australia, Mooy switched to the rather better-known City Football Group operation – Manchester City FC – in June 2016, signing a three-year deal with the English Premier League side.

His arrival coincided with Pep Guardiola taking over the reins at the Etihad and was one of the first moves between the various clubs bought by the Abu Dhabi-owned City Football Group.

Brian Marwood, managing director of City Football Services, said at the time: “Aaron is an extremely talented player who possesses the attributes we hope to foster and encourage within the City Football Group.

“With the unique model CFG provides, Aaron’s move to Manchester allows us to further expose him to a high standard of opportunities to ensure his professional growth.” 

However, just six days later, Mooy was sent on loan to Championship side Huddersfield Town, where he ended up spending three seasons.

He was their player of the year as he helped them to win promotion from the Championship via the play-offs in 2017, he signed permanently for Town and then featured in their two seasons back in the Premier League.

But when they were relegated from the elite in 2019, he didn’t fancy dropping back down and seized the opportunity provided by Brighton to remain in the top division. Town neatly got him to pen a new three-year deal before allowing him to join the Seagulls on loan.

Huddersfield head coach Jan Siewert said: “Aaron was adamant that he wanted to test himself again in the Premier League when Brighton’s interest came in, and we didn’t want an issue where we had a disillusioned player on the pitch in the final year of his contract.”

However, after he’d made 15 appearances (plus three off the bench) in the first half of Graham Potter’s first season in charge, the 29-year-old was signed on a permanent basis on 24 January 2020 on “undisclosed terms”.

“He’s been an important player for us and will have a key part to play going forward,” said Potter. “We knew what Aaron would bring, and he’s proved to be an excellent addition to our squad and a great professional both on and off the pitch.”

Mooy’s deal with Brighton was not due to expire until June 2023 but, sensing one day he might have the opportunity to make big money in China, his contract at both Huddersfield and Brighton contained a clause allowing him to be released if a Chinese club offered to pay £4m – which, in the summer of 2020, Shanghai Port FC were willing to do.

Maybe the player also sensed the arrival at Brighton of Adam Lallana, together with the emergence of Alexis Mac Allister, might mean reduced playing time in the Premiership. However, perhaps the lure of being paid £60,000 a week to play the game he’s loved since a boy back home watching David Beckham on the TV might just have swayed it.

The shaven-headed Mooy had often stood out when playing for Huddersfield against Brighton and their fans were full of admiration for him. David Wood on Twitter said: “It was an absolute privilege to watch Aaron Mooy wear the blue and white of Huddersfield Town. A true class act.” Graeme Rayner added: “Without doubt the best player I’ve seen in a Town shirt. He was immense for us. He gave us some great memories, and was a model pro.”

Seagulls supporters took to him quickly too. ‘Farehamseagull’ on North Stand Chat declared: “Mooy is a wonderful player for us. We’ve been crying out for a player like him for years. His ability on the ball and appreciation of space is second to none. You can just always rely on him to make the right decision with the ball; that is a talent only truly gifted players who can see the game two, three moves ahead have.”

Mooy certainly shone in games against Spurs and Arsenal but possibly his best performance in a Brighton shirt came in the 28 December 2019 home game against Bournemouth when his 79^th minute goal completed a 2-0 win for the Seagulls.

Mooy produced a headline–grabbing performance against Bournemouth

Newspaper headlines hailed the Australian’s contribution to the win and Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith capped the lot in analysing Mooy’s goal. “What a way to settle it,” he said. “Shades of Dennis Bergkamp here, the way he took it on his chest and chipped it in.

“A quite brilliant goal from a really talented player. Great awareness and look at that finish. Bergkamp would’ve been proud.”

Mooy was born in Sydney on 15 September 1990. His German father walked out when he was a toddler and his Dutch mother, Sam, brought him up using her maiden surname. Mooy has said his earliest football memories were of playing for Carlingford Redbacks who were coached by his stepdad, Alan Todd.

His early life, as chronicled by Hale Hendrix on lifeblogger.com, was pretty much football obsessed and he went to the same high school, Westfield Sports High, as Albion goalkeeper Mat Ryan (who was in the year below). Former Leeds and Liverpool player Harry Kewell also went to Westfield.

Mooy played for Sydney-based Hajduk Wanderers and the former National Soccer League team Northern Spirit FC, as well as enhancing his potential at the New South Wales Institute of Sport, based at Sydney Olympic Park, an organisation which nurtures the country’s high performing sports people.

But he was spotted playing for his school as a 14-year-old by Bolton Wanderers’ former head of youth Chris Sulley and he was invited to the UK with his family for an assessment.

“It was a big decision to move to England but I knew it was a great opportunity,” Mooy told the Bolton News.

A serious knee injury threatened to halt his progress but Wanderers’ youth team coaches were convinced they had an outstanding prospect who was eager to earn a professional contract.

In his third season as a scholar, he managed to get some minutes in Alan Cork’s reserve team, and he said: “It’s a big year for me and I have got to show the coaches what I have got, so when I got injured, I knew I had to get back as quickly as possible.

“My rehabilitation involved lots of weight sessions and time on the bike, but I am feeling much sharper now.”

Unfortunately for Mooy, the club’s then-manager, Gary Megson, thought it unlikely he would develop into first-team material – a decision which baffled former Wanderers youth team coach, Peter Farrell.

“I couldn’t believe they released him,” Farrell told Bolton News reporter Marc Iles. “I always thought he was going to make it as a footballer but, as with anything, it’s all about opportunity.

“If Big Sam would have been in charge, or Phil Brown would have taken over I think he would still be there now. They valued that type of player and built their team around him.

“For me, Aaron had it all – he could go with his left foot, his right foot, he was physically strong on the ball and I don’t think he has changed at all from what I saw of him playing for Huddersfield.”

He added: “People thought he was maybe a bit lazy. You’ll never see him tackle. You need players around him to do that. But he reminds me a bit of Zidane – he’s even got the bald head.

“He isn’t as good a player, of course, but he has that grace about the way he plays. He’s a lovely balanced player but he wasn’t Gary Megson’s type of player, and that was the end of it.”

Six months after he left Bolton, Mooy surprisingly turned up in the unlikely surroundings of Paisley, Scotland, for a two-year stint at Scottish Premier League St Mirren (where former Albion midfielder Steven Thomson was at the other end of his career).

“It was a big decision to leave Bolton,” he told The Daily Record at the time. “But I wanted to try to get some first-team action and I’m doing that so I’m happy.

“Some people were a little surprised, but it didn’t bother me. I just thought I wasn’t really going to get much of a chance at Bolton. At St Mirren, I knew I was going to get some decent game time.”

Mooy later told The Scottish Sun: “St Mirren was the start for me. It was the first time I had really experienced proper football. I always remember how much I learned there. I was in the reserves at Bolton, but St Mirren was the first club I was at where winning and collecting points mattered hugely and I had to buy into that mentality.”

Mooy featured in 18 matches for Danny Lennon’s side in the 2010-11 season but he suffered a stress fracture in his back during pre-season and he managed only 12 appearances in 2011-12 and was released on a free transfer at the end of it.

At that point he decided to return to Australia and he joined Western Sydney Wanderers on a two-year deal. Mooy’s story was told excellently by Paul Doyle in The Guardian in a November 2017 article. He wrote:“Although he did well at Western Sydney, even there he was not a guaranteed starter, having to compete with two other players for a deep midfield spot as the team’s playmaking rights were entrusted to Shinji Ono, the former Japan international and 2002 Asian player of the year who would end his career in Australia.”

At the end of his contract, Mooy moved on to Melbourne City where he had an impressive 2015-16 campaign in which he was named Australian Players’ Player of the Year after scoring 17 goals from midfield and setting an A-League assist record.

Although Man City sent him to Huddersfield on loan, news of his strong performances hadn’t escaped Guardiola’s attention, as he noted in media interviews before Town took on City in the FA Cup in January 2017. “Aaron Mooy is playing amazing this season and we are glad at that,” Guardiola said. “It is not easy coming from Australia and going to the Championship and play as good as he is.

“We are going to consider what will happen at the end of the season but it’s good.”

Mooy responded to Guardiola’s praise, telling Huddersfield’s official website: “It’s obviously excellent and I’m very humbled and all that sort of stuff.

“It’s great to know he’s watching me and has his eye on how I’m doing, that’s great.

“They come to watch the games and stay in contact and hopefully they like what they see,” he said.

The Manchester Evening News even ran a story about Mooy headlined ‘The midfielder who could save Pep Guardiola and Man City a fortune this summer’.

However, at the end of June 2017, with Huddersfield preparing for their return to the Premier League, Mooy made the switch from City permanent for a club record fee of £8m.

Boss David Wagner told BBC Radio Leeds: “He was one of our key targets because he was the heart of our team last season.

“When we had the chance to get him permanently, we all agreed that we needed to get it done as quickly as we could.”

Chairman Dean Hoyle added: “Aaron made it very clear to us last season that he wanted to play in the Premier League this season and, if we were there, he would want to do that with us.

“I think we had a duty to try to make that happen for him because he made a huge contribution last season. He was a true terrier for us.”

Mooy drew praise for his role in Wagner’s gegenpressing style of play – bringing an energy and creative use of the ball in a slightly deep-lying midfield role – and Doyle observed in his Guardian article: “Strong on the ball, genuinely two-footed and blessed with vision and precision, he is the conduit of most Terriers attacks and never shirks defensive duties in a team that made more tackles than any other Premier League side during the first 12 matches of the season.”

Through his parents, Mooy could have played internationally for Germany or the Netherlands but he opted to play for the country where he was born and has played at several age group levels for the Australian national side. He made his full debut in 2012, scoring in a 9-0 win over Guam, and has since won more than 40 caps.

After Mooy played well for Australia at the 2018 World Cup, there was speculation City might activate a £20m buy-back clause but this was an unfounded rumour and reporter Stuart Brennan said in the Manchester Evening News: “Mooy has been playing well but has not done enough to suggest he could handle the rarefied atmosphere of Pep Guardiola’s midfield.”

City’s loss was Huddersfield and Brighton’s gain, but amongst the reasons suggested for his sudden departure after only a season with the Seagulls was Shanghai taking advantage of an overseas players loophole which allows Australian players to be counted as Asian.

Mooy certainly hit the ground running in China, scoring within 25 minutes of making his debut on his 30^th birthday. He came off the bench in Shanghai’s 2-1 win against Wuhan Zall, scoring the winner after fellow Premier League export Marko Arnautovic had scored Shanghai’s first.

Mooy scored with a delightful one-two down the flank and easy chip over the onrushing keeper.

“I have only just arrived so my physical condition is not what it could be,” Mooy told Chinese television after the game.

“The coach asked me before kick-off if I could play some part in the game and of course I was happy to do so.”

Mooy’s career has certainly been of interest to a number of football observers around the world and Marco Jackson chipped in on onsideview.com, discussing the rationale behind his move to China.

Mooy’s recent playing time has been non-existent because the Chinese Super League is having a three-and-a-half month break to enable the national side to prepare for World Cup qualifiers. The West Australian reported on 4 October 2021 how Mooy had returned to Scotland to be with his family while keeping fit working on a programme devised by Socceroos strength and conditioning coach Andrew Clark.

Chirpy as a Canary but Mark Walton squawked as a Seagull

A CAREER highlight saw Welshman Mark Walton keep goal for Norwich City in a FA Cup semi-final in front of 40,000 at Hillsborough but his time with the Seagulls was marred by Brighton’s boo boys.

Walton’s first action in an Albion shirt was in front of only a few Albion followers because Brian Horton signed him in the summer of 1998 when the side was playing in exile at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium.

Walton, who’d been part of Micky Adams’ fourth tier Fulham promotion side in 1996-97, found himself out of favour at Craven Cottage once Kevin Keegan had been installed as manager following the club’s takeover by Mohamed Al-Fayed.

Not wishing to play second fiddle to Northern Ireland international Maik Taylor, Walton moved for £20,000 to Brighton, who were a ‘keeper light after Nicky Rust’s departure to Barnet. Walton was Horton’s first choice between the sticks in the opening 16 games of the season.

“When Maik arrived, it was a matter of when I went rather than anything else,” he told fulhamfocus.com.  “I was at a stage in my career that I just wanted to play, so moving was a necessity. In retrospect, I probably should have thought harder about my decision to join Brighton.”

After he’d shipped six goals in two successive 3-1 defeats in October, young Mark Ormerod took over and kept the ‘keeper’s jersey until Horton quit to take over at Port Vale shortly into the new year.

Caretaker boss, Jeff Wood, who’d been a goalkeeper himself, reinstated Walton to the starting line-up for five matches, but he damaged a hamstring in a 3-0 defeat at Southend on 20 February and didn’t play again that season.

Walton must have been encouraged when his old boss Adams took over from Wood, and he shed a stone and a half during the summer to get back into shape. Although Ormerod started the first five games of the new season back in Brighton, Walton was then reinstated as first choice ‘keeper.

But a gaffe — wearebrighton.com recounted how Walton’s attempted clearance from a back pass cannoned into the back of Paul Watson and into the net for an own goal — as Albion succumbed 3-2 to previously winless Chester City on 18 September (despite a goalscoring debut for Danny Cullip) saw feelings running high.

Adams had the players in for an extra training session the following day and Walton was dropped for the next match. Before the month was over, he submitted a transfer request citing the stick he was receiving as his reason for wanting to go.

“It’s one of those things you cannot really do too much about,” he told The Argus. “I am not the first and I won’t be the last. Everybody hears it. It’s just general abuse from boo boys and it’s the same home and away.

“It is obviously not the best feeling in the world, but you are paid to do a job and you go out and give your best.”

The manager was clearly upset that Walton felt he had to leave because of criticism from supporters.

“I’m immensely disappointed that a boy has come in to see me and wants to leave the club because he feels he is not being given a fair crack of the whip by the fans,” Adams told The Argus. “I am disappointed it has come to this and that he feels he has got to bow to fan pressure.

“Mark is a great lad. Whichever eleven lads I put out on the pitch in the blue and white stripes, they are representing Albion and the fans have got to get behind them. They are going out to give their best for the supporters and the club.”

Support came too from part-time goalkeeping coach John Keeley, who said: “Mark looks ever so fit now and the way he has trained and looked after himself in the summer shows he wants to prove to people he is a good goalie.

“As a goalkeeper you want the crowd on your side because it gives you a certain amount of confidence, especially when you are playing at home.”

Adams showed his faith in Walton by restoring him to the starting line-up and he was rewarded for his loyalty by two shut-outs on the road as Albion drew 0-0 at Peterborough and beat Carlisle United 1-0.

The matchday programme noted of the big ‘keeper’s performance at London Road: “Walton didn’t put a foot, or should that be hand, wrong during the 90 minutes, prompting praise from supporters, who chanted his name at the final whistle.”

Adams added: “Mark was terrific. I cannot speak highly enough of him. He is a good, honest pro and he answered his critics.”

Walton collected a player of the month award for conceding only one goal in five matches during October. He kept the shirt for the rest of the season, only missing two games towards the end, and playing a total of 45 games.

But the last-day 1-0 home win over Carlisle United turned out to be his last for the Seagulls. It was reported he’d verbally agreed a new contract but just before the start of the new season he chose to move on to Cardiff, along the road from where he was born in Merthyr Tydfil on 1 June 1969.

As it turned out, the move worked out well all round because Walton helped the Bluebirds win promotion from Division Three as runners up behind the Seagulls in top spot, Adams having unearthed a more than capable replacement in Michel Kuipers.

In an interview with Dan Smith in 2018 for fulhamfocus.com, Walton explained how his footballing life began at South Wales valleys village side Georgetown Boys Club and, because he suffered from severe asthma when he was 12, he decided it would be better to play in goal than in an outfield position. He was inspired by Phil Parkes of West Ham, Jimmy Rimmer of Aston Villa and Everton’s Neville Southall.

Walton played youth team football for Swansea City but his first senior professional club was Luton Town, where he spent six months. With the experienced Les Sealey and Andy Dibble ahead of him, he wasn’t able to break through to the first team. He moved initially on loan to Colchester United, managed by Mike Walker, who’d previously kept goal for the Us after a distinguished career at Watford.

Walker gave him his debut at Layer Road as an 18-year-old in August 1987 and he went on to make a total of 56 appearances for United, having moved permanently for £17,500 in December 1987, by which time Roger Brown was in charge.

Walker, meanwhile, had moved on to take charge of Norwich’s reserve side and, on his recommendation, City signed the Welsh goalkeeper for £75,000 in 1989.

“I owe Mike Walker a debt of gratitude to this day, as he basically taught me from scratch and helped develop me into a solid keeper with a sound technique,” Walton told Ed Couzens-Lake in a 2013 article for myfootballwriter.com.

Walton spent most of his three years at Carrow Road as understudy to first choice Bryan Gunn. It was because of a serious back injury to Gunn that Walton found himself facing Sunderland in the 1992 FA Cup semi-final, when a single goal from John Byrne settled the tie.

Looking back on his time with the Canaries, Walton told Couzens-Lake: “I loved my football and I loved Norwich, and, for me, it is still ‘my club’. The camaraderie of the dressing room was fantastic – indeed, whilst I don’t miss playing one bit, I do miss the changing room banter, all the characters, bad and good, and those shared triumphs, disasters and the shared sense of humour.”

The admirable Flown From The Nest website notes Walton made 28 appearances for the first team and 114 for their reserves. He had loan spells with Wrexham and Dundee United, trials with St Johnstone and West Ham, but it was Bolton Wanderers during Bruce Rioch’s reign that he next saw first team action, playing three games for the Trotters.

After his release from Norwich, a bizarre series of circumstances which he explained to fulhamfocus.com saw him spend two years out of the game before a Fulham fan, who was a member of the Norfolk cricket club he’d been playing for, wrote to Adams and suggested he give Walton another crack at league football.

“Micky telephoned and invited me for a trial. After three weeks, I was offered a year’s contract,” he said.

When ousted by the upheaval at the Cottage, Walton went on loan to Gillingham in March 1998 but couldn’t agree terms for a permanent move and on transfer deadline day ended up back at Norwich on loan as cover for Andy Marshall.

After his stint with the Albion and initial success at Cardiff, Walton slipped down the pecking order and briefly tried his luck with a semi-professional side in Melbourne, Australia.

He returned to South Wales after retiring from playing and went on to gain a first-class sports psychology degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University, a Masters degreeand a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) which led him to become a teacher for 10 years.

He also worked for Cricket Wales as a researcher and community coach and in January 2021 joined the cricket staff of Glamorgan.

“Cricket has always been a passion of mine,” he told his new employers’ website. “I’ve always played but that became more sporadic when I focused on football, but I always tried to sneak in the odd game here and there which was often in midweek.

“I played some league cricket in Norfolk, Essex and Wales and was able to represent Wales Minor Counties. Then about 20 years ago I fell into coaching and it’s prospered from there and I’ve coached every age group within Cricket Wales.”

• Pictures from the Albion matchday programme and online sources.

Transfer makeweight Storer became all-time Seagulls hero

STUART Storer cemented his place in Brighton’s history when he scrambled home a last-gasp winner in the final ever home game at the Goldstone Ground.

When a seemingly goal-bound header from Mark Morris bounced off the south stand end’s crossbar, fortunately it fell into the path of the onrushing Storer who managed to scramble it over the line among a sea of flailing Doncaster Rovers legs.

That moment on 26 April 1997 is often brought up with Storer via media interviews or simply when bumping into Brighton fans while on his travels. The goal is featured in the pre-match video montage shown on the TV screens at the Amex, so it has been seen by various generations of fans.

“I’m proud that people hold me in so much esteem and I’m very fortunate to be part of the club’s history,” Storer told Brighton & Hove Independent in an April 2017 interview. “Younger people that I teach watch the video and take the Mickey but they’ll never kill my pride. I’m very proud of that moment.”

Storer provided the photographers with plenty of action shots

The goal ensured a vital three points were secured in the fight to avoid relegation from the lowest tier in the Football League. In the one remaining game the following week, Albion managed to get the point needed to stay up while simultaneously relegating Hereford United.

Those crucial matches were just two of more than 150 games Storer played for the Albion under six different managers during an extraordinarily turbulent time for the club.

It was, though, a rather curious playing career all round that saw some of the game’s biggest names – Liam Brady, Alan Ball, Howard Kendall and Ron Saunders – sign him for their clubs. And he carried on playing until he was 42.

In 2006 and 2007, he was part of Everton’s Masters’ six-a-side team in the televised tournament featuring veteran players. Storer’s teammates included the likes of Neville Southall, Adrian Heath and Alan Harper.

Storer had been at Goodison Park the last time the Toffees were the English league champions. However, he didn’t make a first team appearance, invariably being the 13^th man in the days when there was only one substitute.

He’d arrived on Merseyside as a transfer makeweight in a £300,000 deal Kendall struck with Birmingham City to sign Wolverhampton-born striker Wayne Clarke – the youngest of five brothers who played league football.

Clarke’s former club, Wolves, were convinced Storer had been included in the deal simply to lower the sell-on amount they were due as part of a previous agreement.

Clarke scored five goals in 10 games – including a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Newcastle United on Easter Monday – to help Everton win the League Championship. Storer had made only 12 appearances for City in three years so his chances of making an impact with the title-chasers were slim.

Although Storer was on Everton’s books for nine months, he never crossed the white line for the first team and went on loan to Wigan Athletic, making his debut on the opening day of the 1987-88 season in a 4-4 draw away to Notts County (Garry Birtles scored two of County’s goals).

Storer was no stranger to a 4-4 draw. He played in two for Albion in 1997 – on 8 March at home to Orient and on Boxing Day later the same year when they drew at Priestfield against Colchester United (Paul Emblen got a hat-trick for the Seagulls).

Storer started nine games for the Latics and came on as a sub three times under Ray Matthias but they didn’t have the funds for a permanent transfer. Instead, the loan was cut short and, on Christmas Eve 1987, Everton sold him to then Fourth Division Bolton Wanderers for £25,000. He scored his first goal for the Trotters four days later in a 2-1 home win over Stockport County.

He enjoyed seven seasons at Burnden Park as they progressed from the basement division to the third tier under former Liverpool and England full-back Phil Neal.

His time with the Trotters included two trips to Wembley. He was a late substitute in the Wanderers side captained by Phil Brown who beat Torquay United 4-1 in to win the Sherpa van Trophy in 1989. And he was a starter in the Wanderers side who lost the 1991 Third Division play-off final to Tranmere Rovers.

Having broken an ankle and seen Neal switch to become Steve Coppell’s assistant manager at Manchester City, Storer was sold to Exeter City in March 1993 by Neal’s successor Bruce Rioch. Storer made 177 appearances for Bolton, but Rioch’s signing of David Lee had signalled the beginning of the end of his time there.

It was former World Cup winner Ball, then boss of Exeter City, who paid £25,000 for Storer’s services. He made 75 appearances (plus two as a sub) for the Grecians, initially under Ball and then his successor, former Leeds and England left-back Terry Cooper in the 1994-95 season.

Financial problems at the Devon club led to his departure. Early negotiations with a view to a transfer to Brighton initially broke down but Brady finally managed to secure his services for £15,000 in March 1995.

Ironically, he then suffered an injury during his first day’s training with the Seagulls, delaying his first appearance until 29 April. But it was memorable as he scored in a 3-3 draw away to his former club, Birmingham.

He recalled in a March 2019 interview with Michael Walker for the Daily Mail: “I was in an untenable situation at Exeter because they were going into administration. I had to get out. It was from the frying pan into the fire.”

However, Storer said, at the time he signed, he was unaware of the tensions going on around the Albion, although he knew he was the first player signed after a transfer embargo had been lifted. Not for the first time in the club’s history, fans dipped into their pockets to help buy the player.

“I think the fans just wanted to buy a player, any player, and they chipped in,” said Storer.

Born in the village of Harborough Magna, just north of Rugby, on 16 January 1967, he was raised in the village of Dunchurch, just south of Rugby, attending its local junior school before moving on to Bilton High School, where his footballing ability was recognised with selection in the Rugby Boys and Warwickshire Boys representative sides.

Wolverhampton Wanderers scout John Jarman spotted him and he went along to Molineux during the Ian Greaves managerial reign. When a takeover at Wolves saw Jarman and Greaves depart for Mansfield Town, they took the young Storer on as a trainee at Field Mill.

He began playing for their youth side but he was given his Mansfield first team debut aged only 16 in a 4-0 win over Hartlepool.

Storer and Julian Dicks at Birmingham City

Released after only a year with the Stags, he was offered another chance to build a league career by Birmingham who he joined in July 1984, initially signing as a trainee and then becoming a professional. But after limited first team opportunities at St Andrews, Saunders’ successor, John Bond, sold him to Everton as part of the Clarke transfer.

After Storer’s crucial part in keeping Albion in the League, he remained at the club until 1999, playing a total of 152 games and being part of the side who had to spend two years playing home games at Gillingham.

He moved back to Warwickshire on the day the Seagulls played their first friendly at Withdean on 24 July 1999,signing for Southern League Premier Division side Atherstone United, but he was only there for two months before moving to Kettering Town, who were playing in the Football Conference, the tier just below the Football League.

In May 2000, Storer signed for Isthmian League Premier Division side Chesham United and spent a season with them, before moving nearer to his Midlands base and signing for Hinckley United in March 2001.

Storer was made club captain, and as he approached his late 30s, he got more involved with coaching. At the age of 40, Storer was a member of the Hinckley team that achieved their highest ever league position of fourth in the Conference North, losing in the play-off final to deny them promotion.

After eight seasons, he had made more than 300 appearances for the part-timers of Hinckley while working as a PE teacher at various colleges in Coventry.

Storer continued to play until he was 42 and since 2013 has managed Bedworth United, where he is still in charge and also runs academies for boys and girls and A Level courses. He said: “I played until I was 42 at Hinckley in the Conference and then my legs gave way and I had to do something else in football.”

There’s a Michael Portillo style to Storer’s attire here and he admitted in a matchday programme article to having a penchant for “having a bizarre choice in clothing” as well as being an avid collector of hats.

Wright player, wrong place but Jake was United with Wilder

LEFT-SIDED centre back Jake Wright had limited chances to show his mettle for Brighton but Chris Wilder liked what he saw – and was his manager at three different clubs.

Wright played for Wilder at Halifax Town, Oxford United and Sheffield United so was in a good position to assess the terrific job the Blades boss had done at Bramall Lane for a BBC Sport article on 10 January 2020.

“He’s not changed at all,” said Wright. “I don’t think his training sessions or his intensity have changed. As he’s progressed, he’s got better players in, so the quality’s changed. But how he goes about the day-to-day running of a football club hasn’t really changed.

“He’s always been hands-on. He’s always taken a lot of sessions himself. He knows what it takes to win and he knows how to motivate his players to be ready for a game.

“He’s ruthless. He’s got no qualms about dropping a player – no matter how long you’ve known him or how well you’ve done for him – he makes decisions to benefit the club.”

The article featured a number of players who played for Wilder over the years, and Wright added: “His CV’s incredible – one of the best in the country for how well he’s done at certain teams.

“I can’t compliment him enough as a manager. I’ve probably played more games for him than any other player and he hasn’t changed the way he is. He’s kept his philosophy.”

Born on 11 March 1986 in Keighley, Wright began his footballing journey eight miles away at Bradford City. Former England and Derby defender Colin Todd was manager at the time, and he awarded Wright his first professional contract, but it was away from Valley Parade that he gained first team experience.

Wilder was cutting his managerial teeth at Halifax and took Wright and fellow Bantam Danny Forrest to The Shay, initially on loan. The pair eventually joined on a permanent basis and Wright made 88 appearances for them but opted to move on when financial issues saw them demoted two divisions.

He moved to Crawley Town, then in the Conference Premier, and some solid performances at that level drew attention from various league clubs, including nearby Albion, who had recently narrowly escaped relegation to the fourth tier.

Manager Russell Slade took him on a trial basis for a pre-season friendly against Torquay United in July 2009, and, although Albion lost the game 1-0, Wright did enough to earn himself a two-year deal.

Slade said: “He has done very well, both in training and in the game at Torquay. He is a left-sided defender who can play at full-back or centre-half. He is also an excellent athlete, a good talker and I am expecting that he will prove himself as a quality player.”

Wright started the season in the no.5 shirt in the centre of the back four alongside Tommy Elphick but there was plenty of competition for places and Adam El-Abd and James Tunnicliffe were drafted in as Slade tried to address a four-game winless start.

He had a couple more starts in October but, with Brighton struggling towards the foot of the table, Slade was axed as boss that autumn, and Wright didn’t feature in new manager Gus Poyet’s plans.

On 31 December 2009, he was allowed to join Oxford United on loan until the end of the season. He’d only made eight appearances for the Seagulls.

“I wasn’t playing at Brighton and I want to be playing games,” Wright told the BBC. “I am coming to a club that is basically a league club and is going in the right direction. I want to be playing football.”

Wilder said: “I had Jake at Halifax and took him out of Bradford City reserves and he was superb for me.”

By the end of that season, Oxford had won promotion back into the league and Wright’s move was made permanent, courtesy of a free transfer.

The following summer he was appointed Oxford’s captain, and his stay at the Kassam Stadium extended to six seasons over which he made a total of 278 appearances.

After leading the U’s to promotion from League 2 as runners-up in the 2015-16 season, Wright left the club that summer having been told he wouldn’t be guaranteed his place in the higher division.

“Michael Appleton said I wasn’t in his plans and he’d give me the opportunity to move on,” Wright told the Oxford Mail. “It was a shock to be told, especially after we got promoted with the best defensive record in the league.”

Wright wasn’t without a club for long, moving back to Yorkshire to link up with Wilder once more, this time at Sheffield United.

“Jake brings a calmness to the team,” Wilder told the Sheffield Telegraph. “He’s one of those players I enjoy watching because he wants to win. In training and in games.

“He’s never played at this level and, with respect, he views this as an opportunity to do something at the back end of his career. I love players like that. People who get the maximum out of their careers. It’s not been a glittering career with medals littered all over the place. But every manager he’s had will tell you what Jake is like.”

He featured in 30 matches as they gained promotion from League One and played a further 22 games in their 2017-18 season in the Championship. Not involved in United’s Premier League side, in 2019-20 Wright switched on loan to League One Bolton Wanderers, where he played 12 matches.

Wright signed for Hereford at the start of the current season, with manager Josh Gowling saying: “Jake is a very big signing for us, he’s a very commanding centre half.

“He’s got a great attitude; he’s got hunger and desire and he still wants to push on and win things.”

Let down by ‘little’ Sammy, ‘big’ Sami struggled from the start…

HINDSIGHT is a wonderful thing but few would disagree that Sami Hyypia’s reign as Albion manager was doomed almost from the start.

Inexperienced boss Hyypia had barely got his feet under the table at the Amex before former Liverpool assistant manager, Sammy Lee, pulled the rug from under his proposed new regime.

Hyypia, not unreasonably, had thought the former no.2 to Rafa Benitez would bring vital experience to his backroom team because the Albion position was only the former Reds central defender’s second managerial job.

Lee, despite accepting the position on 27 June 2014, decided two days later to reject the deal because he’d agreed to become Ronald Koeman’s deputy at Southampton instead.

Hyypia had only been in post three weeks, so, it would be fair to say, Lee’s decision must have been a hammer blow – especially as his first choice for no.2 said ‘no’ too! Jan Moritze Lichte, who’d been at Bayer Leverkusen when Hyypia made his managerial bow – which lasted only nine months – had already declined to join him in the UK for “personal reasons”.

Thus, Hyypia had to rely on two of previous boss Oscar Garcia’s coaching staff, Nathan Jones and Joaquin Gomez, to assist on the coaching side, although his fellow countryman, Antti Niemi, did accept the offer to become goalkeeping coach.

On the playing side, there had been a large turnover of personnel in the wake of Garcia’s departure – and, it emerged, the players coming in weren’t being signed by Hyypia but were the picks of head of football operations, David Burke.

It was always going to be a tough ask to replace Leonardo Ulloa up front – and journeyman Chris O’Grady certainly didn’t provide an answer.

There was a sense of excitement when Hyypia’s Liverpool links saw the arrival on loan of Joao Teixeira, but the number of players only at the club on a temporary basis should have been something of a wake-up call.

The permanent signing of one-time West Ham forward Sam Baldock looked like a sound investment – he’d hit the net regularly enough at Bristol City in the division below – but he found goals hard to come by at the higher level.

As if to highlight the player upheaval and shaky managerial team foundations, Albion lost the first two games of the season, single goal defeats at home to Sheffield Wednesday and away to Birmingham City.

If a 2-0 win away to Leeds United followed by a 2-1 home win over Bolton suggested a corner had been turned, Albion then went on an 11-game winless run.

If he hadn’t been aware beforehand, Hyypia would have quickly realised the calibre of player Burke provided him with fell way short of what was required if the side were going to repeat the previous two seasons’ achievement of finishing in the play-off positions.

Not only was there a lack of consistency in personnel on the pitch, those who were selected appeared to be confused as to exactly how Hyypia wanted them to play.

Andy Naylor tried to analyse Hyypia’s philosophy early on in the season, reporting: “We have already seen 4-1-2-3, 4-1-2-2-1, 4-4-1-1. Hyypia is combining Southern European technical accomplishment in possession and mobility with a more Northern European tempo and directness.

“The width is provided by advanced full-backs, the chances for a narrower strike force by the players who like to operate, in modern coaching speak, ‘between the lines’, exploiting pockets of space in the area dividing the opposition defence and midfield.”

The theory might well have been sound but the practice was found wanting.

Having won only one game in 18 matches, and after only six months in charge, Hyypia resigned shortly before Christmas.

At his last home game in charge – a 1-0 defeat to Millwall – the Albion faithful demonstrated they’d had enough, calling for him to go and, in the North Stand, unfurling a banner making that message loud and clear.

Hyypia himself admitted the atmosphere had been tough to handle but, in an interview with the Argus, had vowed to turn things round.

It was an unseemly end for someone who as a player had been rated one of the best defenders ever to pull on a Liverpool shirt. But Hyypia was by no means alone in not being able to continue the prowess he’d shown on the playing side into management.

Liverpoolway.co.uk charts the player’s career succinctly; a Gerard Houllier signing in 1999, over the course of a decade he collected winners medals across several competitions: the Champions League, the FA Cup (twice), the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup (twice), the League Cup (twice) and the Charity Shield.

Born on 7 October 1973 in Porvoo, Finland, Hyypia’s football career blossomed with now dissolved Kuusankosken Kumu before switching to MyPa, where he stayed four years, helping them to win the Finnish Cup in 1992 and 1995. He moved to Holland to play for Willem II for four years where for a time his defensive partner was Jaap Staam, who subsequently played for Manchester United. Liverpool signed Hyypia for £2.6m in 1999, ironically following up a tip from a TV cameraman!

After being capped 27 times by Finland under 21s, he earned his first full cap in 1992 and, with 105 caps for Finland, he is second only to Jari Litmanen as his country’s highest capped player.

After his Liverpool playing days came to an end, Hyypia went to play in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen and two years later joined the club’s coaching staff.

In a rather unusual arrangement, Hyypia and former under19s coach Sascha Lewandoski jointly replaced Robin Dutt as head coach but Hyypia took sole charge in June 2013. He was sacked in April 2014.

After his brief time in charge of Brighton, it was another eight months before he found another head coach role, this time taking charge of FC Zurich in August 2015. But with the club heading for relegation in May 2016, he was sacked.

The Finn has yet to re-appear in the dugout, although he has pulled on his boots again to play for a Liverpool Legends side. It remains to be seen whether he’ll give coaching or management another go, although he told BT Sport in February 2019: “I will coach and manage again one day but not yet. I get some enquiries quite regularly, but nothing has yet been that interesting I would jump into it.”

He added: “I wouldn’t change any decision to go so quickly into coaching. A lot of people said I made a mistake going into it so early, but I learned a lot.

“You learn a lot more from the bad moments than the good moments. Those years when things were not going my way, I learned so much and I am much better and more ready now.”

One-goal striker Craig Davies a Seagulls flop

THE PHRASE ‘journeyman striker’ sits perfectly with Welsh international Craig Davies who, despite success later in his career, fired blanks for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton.

To use that rather amusing, though well-worn phrase, he couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo during his time with the Seagulls.

He arrived on the south coast in January 2009 during Micky Adams’ second, unsuccessful, spell in Albion’s managerial chair.

Oldham Athletic received a reported £150,000 for his signature and, in 23 games for Brighton, he managed just the one goal – on his debut!

That strike came at Withdean – the opening goal in what ended up a 4-2 defeat to Peterborough United (for whom a certain Craig Mackail-Smith equalised).

When a 4-0 home thrashing by Crewe Alexandra meant it had been six games on the trot without a win, Adams was fired by Dick Knight at a Little Chef on the A23. He’d managed just seven wins in 34 matches, and ‘fireman’ Russell Slade arrived just in time to rescue the Seagulls from the League One relegation trapdoor.

Many different striker permutations were tried that season, with main men Nicky Forster and Glenn Murray sidelined by injury, and Albion’s survival was largely due to the goals of loan arrival Lloyd Owusu. Davies huffed and puffed but simply couldn’t make a meaningful connection when the goal beckoned.

Typical of the fans’ eye view was this observation by wearebrighton.com: “That Adams actually paid money for Craig Davies remains one of the more startling moments of his reign of terror.

“Rarely has a Brighton player enraged the Seagulls support like Davies, a man who mixed incompetence – such as the ability to put the ball over the bar when faced with an open goal three yards away – with a complete lack of effort.”

There had been such promise on his arrival, with chairman Dick Knight telling the matchday programme: “Craig is an exciting player with loads of potential, he is lightning-quick and his direct approach can be a nightmare for defenders. This is a major career move for him and he has every chance to be a crucial part of our future.”

Davies himself clearly thought he’d finally found a place to further his career, saying: “I’ve had a few ups and downs through my career but hopefully now I can get settled at Brighton and start knocking in the goals here.

“The gaffer seems to have a bit of faith in me so hopefully I can repay that by putting in some performances and getting a few goals.”

Albion cut their losses on Davies and loaned him to Yeovil Town (he didn’t score in four games for them, either) and then Adams re-signed him, this time for League Two Port Vale, where he finally managed to find the back of the net again.

In the summer of 2010, Davies came to a mutual agreement to end his Brighton nightmare and he joined League Two Chesterfield, from where his career began an amazing upward trajectory.

Born in Burton-upon-Trent on 9 January 1986, Davies began his career as a schoolboy at Shrewsbury Town, but did his apprenticeship at Manchester City. In August 2004, he moved on to League Two Oxford United, where he made his league debut the same month in a 1-0 win at Notts County.

In two seasons with Oxford, managed by former Ipswich and Arsenal midfielder Brian Talbot, he scored eight times in 55 appearances. In the summer of 2005, he made his debut for Wales (qualifying because he had a Welsh grandfather) as a substitute in a 0-0 draw v Slovenia. Reports linked him with a move to Premier League Charlton Athletic, but nothing came of it and instead, in January 2006, he moved to Italy to join Hellas Verona for a £85,000 fee.

It proved to be too big a step for someone who was then only 20, and he referred to feelings of homesickness in an interview with the BBC.

Remarkably, Davies hit the headlines in May 2006, when in the sixth of seven games he played for the Wales under-21 side (which featured Gareth Bale, Andrew Crofts and Arron Davies) he scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Estonia, and it earned him a recall to the full international side.

Wales under-21 manager Brian Flynn told the BBC: “Craig has sometimes been frustrating to watch, but he has skill and we will help him, and them all, to flourish.”

Davies hoped the international goals would attract a club to rescue him from Italy. “I have found it very hard to settle in Italy,” he told the BBC. “Verona want me to come back and have a year on loan somewhere and then they will look at the situation again when I have a bit more experience.”

It was Wolves, then in the Championship, who offered him a lifeline back in the UK and he moved to Molineux on loan, playing 23 games, mainly in the first half of the 2006-07 season.

The only goals he scored for Wolves both came in a FA Cup tie against Oldham Athletic who, ironically, turned out to be his next club. He joined them for an undisclosed fee from Hellas in June 2007.

Davies netted 13 times for a League One Latics side in 2007-08 but, after a 10-game barren spell the following season, he was sent on loan to Stockport County where he scored six times in 13 games, including bagging a hat-trick against Bristol Rovers, and scoring a penalty against Albion as County won 2-0.

When Adams rescued Davies from his Seagulls horror spell, he was rewarded with seven goals in 24 matches for League Two Port Vale between January 2010 and the end of the season.

Chesterfield stepped in to sign him on a one-year deal for the 2010-11 season – and he was promptly sent off in his first competitive game for the Spireites!

Things did get much better, though, and he ended the season with 25 goals to his name, Chesterfield were promoted, and Davies was chosen in the divisional PFA select team for the season.

Such success drew attention from other clubs and he opted to join Championship side Barnsley under Keith Hill. He struggled to find the net in the opening nine matches but eventually finished the season with 11 goals in 42 appearances.

In September 2012, Davies scored FOUR goals in the space of 19 minutes in a 5-0 demolition of Birmingham City at St Andrews and, with nine goals in 22 appearances to his name in the first half of the 2012-13 season, Bolton Wanderers came forward with a £300,000 bid to take him to the Reebok Stadium.

He scored four goals in 18 Championship games for Wanderers but another of his barren spells struck in the opening half of the following season. Wanderers loaned him to League One Preston and he got a goal on his debut as well as a hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of Carlisle United. North End reached the play-offs, and Davies made his way back to Bolton having scored five in 15 games.

Hamstring injury issues plagued him in 2014-15 and manager Neil Lennon released him at the end of the season.

He didn’t have far to travel for his next port of call when newly-relegated Wigan Athletic offered him a two-year contract. He only scored twice in 30 appearances, but Wigan won promotion as League One champions.

With just one goal in 14 Championship games in the first part of the 2016-17 season, Davies was on the move again, this time linking up with League One Scunthorpe United until the end of the season. Cue another barren spell: no goals in 21 games.

The 2017-18 season saw Davies return to his old club, Oldham Athletic, and despite scoring 14 goals in 44 appearances, could not prevent the club being relegated to League Two. Davies had strong views about the ownership of the club as he departed for Mansfield Town.

He signed a two-year deal with the Stags, but injury curtailed his involvement in 2018-19.

‘Mad Dog’ Kennedy’s eyes weren’t always on the ball!

IN A ‘10 worst Albion strikers you’ve seen’ list, Andy Kennedy would be a leading contender.

On the rare occasions he scored, he would celebrate with an exaggerated swagger befitting scoring the winning goal in a cup final – all rather out of place in a humdrum third tier league match!

The disdain in which the supporters of Watford hold him is hilariously summed up by Darren Rowe in an article on Blind, Stupid and Desperate.

“If an opposing team wanted to keep him under control, they did not need to mark him, merely make sure that he was offside, which, for long spells of the game, he would be,” opined Rowe. “Andy always seemed to have forgotten to put any studs in his boots. If ever he felt he could get away with it, his legs would give way at the edge of the box.”

In the same online title, author Chris Stride is a little more appreciative, before putting the knife in!

“He had good control, strength, ball skills and packed a powerful shot. In his early days at Blackburn, I saw him score a magnificent 25-yard curler and have an all-round blinding game against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

“When he signed for Watford I was hoping for more of the same. All we ever got was one long range effort away to Southend in the First Round of the Coca-Cola, and a couple of seasons of strolling around the pitch preserving his hairstyle and energy for (page three model girlfriend) Maria Whitaker.”

A Blackburn Rovers fan, posting in February 2018 under the name Drog on roversfans.com, also shared an amusing recollection of Kennedy’s time at his club.

“My main memories of Walsall though are from an occasion at homely former ground Fellows Park where Andy Kennedy netted a brace in a 2-1 win.

“My travelling companions and I managed to gain admission to the less than Babylonian splendour of something exotically named the Terry Ramsden Suite, after a colourful but ill-fated owner, where I was hoping to perhaps pass my congratulations on to Andy and his then-paramour, a lass named Maria Whittaker whom I greatly admired but sadly she had not made the trip to the Midlands.

“I can’t remember exactly what she looked like but the captions which accompanied her frequent newspaper appearances always made me think she’d make a sparkling conversationalist.”

It seems the shapely Ms Whitaker must have occupied Kennedy’s mind quite a lot. Non-League Paper contributor Liam Watson, once a player with Witton Albion, recalled in a 2013 article: “We also signed the striker Andy Kennedy – long dark hair, good looking fella – and he was knocking off the page three girl, Maria Whittaker, at the time. That was all he talked about.”

Born in Stirling on 8 October 1964 the son of an engineer father and beautician mother, Kennedy went to Wallace High School in the town and first gained football representative honours at under 13 level. It was his performances for Stirling Boys Club that caught the eye of Glasgow Rangers scout Davie Provan.

In those days he was a winger but after going through the ranks at Ibrox and signing professional at 17, he was converted into a central striker. He eventually broke through into the first team in 1982.

He mustered 20 games for the Scottish giants, scoring three times, but also spent some time on loan at Seiko in Hong Kong. Clearly it was time to move on from Glasgow!

In March 1985, Birmingham City were faltering as promotion candidates in the chasing pack at the top of the old Second Division when manager Ron Saunders took on the 20-year-old Kennedy at St Andrews.

           Kennedy displays a more conventional goalscoring celebration for Birmingham

On 8 April, with regular striker David Geddis suspended and Blues trying to end a run that had seen just one win in the previous six games, Kennedy was called up for his debut at home to Sheffield United.

And what a start he made! Not only did he score with a header past former Villa ‘keeper John Burridge, he also set up Wayne Clarke to make it 3-0 and Blues went on to win 4-1.

Kennedy’s good form continued as he scored four in seven appearances and the stuttering Blues went from fourth to second and won automatic promotion back to the elite.

Kennedy was leading goalscorer the following season….but with just nine goals that didn’t say much, as the Blues went straight back down!

Throughout the course of his three-year contract with Birmingham he made 76 league appearances but scored just 18 goals and, in March 1987, was loaned to Sheffield United, where he scored once in nine games.

In the summer of 1988, he was on the move again, this time to Blackburn Rovers for a £50,000 fee. To be fair, the Ewood Park faithful probably saw the best of him as he netted 25 goals in 59 appearances during his two years at the club.

Watford were his next club and he joined for a fee of £60,000 in August 1990. But he failed to make an impact and was loaned out to Third Division Bolton Wanderers. Unfortunately, a back injury curtailed his time with the Trotters and he only managed one game before returning to Vicarage Road.

In his unhappy time with the Hornets, he made just 25 league appearances and scored only four goals.

It was a ‘phone call from Barry Lloyd‘s no.2 Martin Hinshelwood that heralded his arrival at the Goldstone. He joined Brighton for a nominal fee in September 1992, making his debut as a substitute for Steve Cotterill in a 1-0 home defeat to Reading on 26 September 1992.

“I am delighted to be here with a great bunch of lads and now I am determined to play my part in scoring goals and getting the club promotion,” he told the matchday programme.

A skip through recollections of Kennedy on North Stand Chat hardly stand as a ringing endorsement to his contribution in the stripes, the most complimentary coming from Austrian Gull, who maintained: “He wasn’t always that bad – we’d been spoilt by the beast that was Mike Small and Kennedy could never come close to reaching that level. Wasn’t the most hardworking but him and (Kurt) Nogan were okay. We certainly had a lot worse than Kennedy to come.”

Meanwhile backson reckoned: “Frustrating player. When we played United in the cup at Old Trafford, I seem to remember he was genuinely fouled in the box but went down so damn theatrically, like he’d been shot, it wasn’t given.”

Others recall him through that nickname ‘Mad Dog’ (first coined in a News of the World article about his affair with Ms Whittaker). Gwylan said: “Mad Dog wasn’t that bad – he was just lazy and looked unfit. If he had the attitude of Gary Hart, say, he’d have been an excellent player for us as he had a fair degree of ability.”

Pinkie Brown also observed: “Certainly had ability when he felt inclined. Sadly, as he had a bad attitude and was lazy, supporters saw little of that ability. One of those players who could have gone further had he been more focused.”

Several fans remember how he didn’t react well to observations from the terraces pointing out his shortcomings. Bladders was amused to recall: “One time, when he lazily chased a ball that went out of play, my old man told him to ‘put some bloody effort in Kennedy’. Kennedy then threatened to jump into the South Stand and smash his face in if he gave him any more lip.”

I must say on checking with the record books, I am staggered to discover he scored 10 times in 42 games for Brighton – although I do remember those over the top celebrations.

It’s said he left the club in 1994 after Liam Brady told him he wasn’t good enough to play for the reserves in the Sussex Senior Cup Final.

He ended his English league career with a cameo at Gillingham and at the age of 30 tried his luck in Hong Kong again, this time with Tsing Tao, before returning to the British Isles to play in Northern Ireland with Portadown and Shelbourne in Dublin.

As he was not the sort of player likely to be invited back to the club to reminisce over old times, he appears to have slipped below the radar in recent times.

However, Kennedy has linked up as a coach with the Rangers Soccer Schools programme at home and in North America. In 2005, Kennedy was part of a team of Rangers coaches who ran soccer schools in Canada. According to a Birmingham Mail report in 2015, Kennedy stayed in Canada at Ajax FC.

‘Dynamic and energetic’ international Keith Andrews wanted longer Brighton stay

REPUBLIC of Ireland international midfielder Keith Andrews was something of a revelation during a season-long loan at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Now plying his trade as a pundit for Sky Sports, Andrews had previously played for the other Albion as well – West Bromwich – although his stay there was even briefer than his time with the Seagulls.

With the looming expectation that back-to-back Player of the Season Liam Bridcutt would shortly follow old boss Gus Poyet to Sunderland (which eventually happened in January 2014), Brighton turned to Andrews to cover the defensive midfield slot in 2013-14.

Arriving at the Amex in August 2013 just short of his 33^rd birthday on a season-long loan from Bolton Wanderers, Andrews was not at all happy with the way the Trotters ‘disposed’ of him, telling bbc.co.uk: “Nobody really had the decency to even phone me as I was leaving.

“I think I deserve a little bit more respect than that, I suppose. I always felt I’d done things well at that club, been very professional and treated people like I like to be treated.

“To end on that note was a bit sour but you can’t be surprised by anything in football.”

Even if Seagulls supporters viewed his signing as somewhat underwhelming, Andrews himself was delighted and excited, saying: “If it wasn’t the right move, I certainly wouldn’t have gone and I didn’t feel any pressure to leave.

“It was a move that genuinely excited me. To come to a club that plays in the fashion and style that Brighton do was something that really appealed to me.

“I have still got a huge appetite for the game and I feel I can have a big impact here. I have come into a squad that has a wealth of experience and ability that will make me be the player I know I can be.”

And boss Oscar Garcia sought to dispel any doubts, telling bbc.co.uk: “He is a player with experience at the top level of the English game and international football – including World Cups and European Championships.

“Keith is a player who I know will enjoy the way we like to play. He is a dynamic and energetic player.”

It wasn’t long before supporters began to be pleasantly surprised by Andrews’ contribution on the pitch, and off it the new signing also began to show his aptitude for handling the media.

As early as September 2013, Andrews was speaking eloquently about his teammates, for example telling BBC Radio Sussex his views about striker Leonardo Ulloa.

“He is a handful and has got a bit of everything,” he said. “He is a big player for us at the moment as he is really leading the line on his own. He allows us to bring other players, such as Bucko [Will Buckley] and Ashley Barnes, into play.

“He is very effective and I’ve seen first hand in training how strong he is and what a handful he is to deal with. I have only been here a few weeks but I have been very impressed by the mix we have got in the dressing room. We’ve got experience, youth, foreign, English and Irish.

“It is a good atmosphere and if we hold onto what we have got I am more than confident we can have a very successful season.”

As the months progressed, Andrews became an established part of the side which Garcia ultimately led to the play-offs. In December 2013, Andrews made use of the platform offered by the Daily Mail’s Footballers’ Football Column to expand on his enjoyment of his time at the Amex.

“The club made a big impression on me when I played against them for Bolton last season, in terms of their style of football and their new stadium, and when they came in for me it was a very easy decision in footballing terms,” he said. “It’s not an easy decision, moving 250 miles away from your home in the north-west, but Brighton made it very clear they wanted me and Bolton made it clear they didn’t.

“It came out of the blue, but I felt it was a chance to be a part of something really exciting.”

Garcia’s decision to quit after the failure to get past Derby County in the play-off semi-finals was the catalyst for a number of changes in the playing personnel, although Andrews hankered to make his move to Sussex permanent having been involved in 37 appearances since his temporary move.

He registered one goal during that time, an 89^th minute equaliser at home to Sheffield Wednesday in October.

In a May 2014 interview with the Bolton News, he said: “It would be something I’d be interested in. When the people are so good to you and make you feel so welcome, the fans have been fantastic, it’s a one-club town.

“No-one supports anyone else and the attendances are something that I haven’t experienced in football for a long, long time. We’ve got the best attendances in the whole league although other clubs in the league are supposedly bigger.

“It’s a club I would like to stay involved in but contract-wise I’m contracted to a different club next season, I’m only here on loan. These things are not always in your hands and you can’t always dictate where you go and how your career pans out.

“But I would certainly like to stay on at Brighton into the future because I have thoroughly enjoyed it this year.”

The midfielder also reflected positively on his time at the Amex in a blog post for Sky Sports, pointing out: “Although I was only at the Amex for one season I have a lot of affection for the club as I think they try to do things in the right manner for the club to evolve with real sustainability for years to come.

“There are good people involved behind the scenes there, none more so than in the academy. Last season I worked closely with the academy manager John Morling and the development coach Ian Buckman as I was in the middle of my UEFA ‘A’ licence and they couldn’t have done any more to help me.

“It was a great experience to work with them as they prepared weekly and monthly schedules with the rest of the coaches and sports scientists to ensure the young lads had the best chance of developing their games, both technically and physically.

“I was amazed at the schedule a 14-year-old at the club had and a little envious to be honest as it certainly wasn’t like that in my day!”

Born in Dublin on 13 September 1980, Andrews came through the ranks of Drumcondra side Stella Maris before being picked up as a junior by Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he stayed for six years.

He made his first team debut on 18 March 2000 in a 2-1 win at Swindon and at 21 was Wolves’ youngest ever captain in a game against QPR, but he was sent out on loan on three separate occasions, playing briefly for Oxford United, Stoke City and Walsall.

After 72 appearances for the Molineux side, in 2005 he moved on to Hull City, where injury blighted his only season with them He then had a two-year spell with Milton Keynes Dons, where he had a productive midfield partnership with Alan Navarro, and he assumed the captaincy of Paul Ince’s side.

His second season was a huge success as the Dons won promotion to League One; Andrews scoring the goal which secured the success. He also scored in the club’s 2-0 win over Grimsby Town in the Football League Trophy at Wembley.

Andrews was chosen in the PFA Team of the Year, won the League Two player of the Year Award and was listed 38^th of FourFourTwo magazine’s top 50 Football League players.

The Irishman followed his old Dons boss Ince to Premier League Blackburn Rovers in September 2008 and, two months later, at the comparatively late age of 28, made it onto the international scene with Ireland, making his debut as a substitute in a 3-2 friendly defeat against Poland.

It was the first of 35 international caps. He was involved in Ireland’s 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and although the country was winless at the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine, Andrews was named FAI Player of the Year for 2012.

Meanwhile, Andrews’ third season at Blackburn (2010-11) had been curtailed by injury, restricting him to just five Premier League appearances, and in August 2011 he went on a half-season loan to Ipswich Town.

A permanent switch looked on the cards but on deadline day of the January 2012 transfer window he ended up joining West Brom on a six-month deal. After 14 Premier League appearances for the Baggies, his contract came to an end and his next port of call was newly-relegated Bolton Wanderers, who he joined on a three-year contract in the summer of 2012.

Owen Coyle was the manager at that time but his tenure came to an abrupt end in October that year. Although Andrews played 25 times under his successor, Dougie Freedman, the following season he was edged out by the signing from Liverpool of Jay Spearing.

After his loan season with Brighton, Andrews had a similar arrangement at Watford but he didn’t enjoy the same success there and ended up curtailing the deal and going back to MK Dons on loan for the latter part of the season.

When the curtain came down on his playing career at the end of the 2014-15 season, he’d completed 413 career appearances and scored 49 goals.

He became first team coach at MK Dons and harboured ambitions of becoming manager when Karl Robinson departed, but he was overlooked and began working as a coach with the junior Irish international teams, and turned to punditry with Sky Sports.