Having broken his leg in 2004 and twice been loaned out in 2005, Tees-sider Andrew Davies had fought his way back into his local team – Gareth Southgate’s Premiership Middlesbrough – in the latter part of their 2005-06 season, including the knock-out stages of their progress to the UEFA Cup Final. That set him up to play more often than not in 2006-07, but early in the following season, he was out on loan again – this time to Championship Southampton, with a view to a permanent transfer, priced at £1m, in the January window.

His debut was delayed by a calf-strain, sustained in training, but he then slotted in at centre-back with a series of commanding performances that raised questions as to why Southgate had ever let him go. Andrew duly signed, come January. Breaking his jaw at Stoke in February did not interrupt his run of appearances but, no sooner had goalkeeper Kelvin Davis declared him

“a great asset”, in the match-day program of 1 March, “and a natural defender if ever I saw one,”

than Andrew broke a cheekbone at Blackpool the following Saturday. His season was over but such was his impact in a little over four months that the fans voted him their Player-of-the-Year.

The club escaped relegation at the death but was in financial straits. Returning as Chairman, Rupert Lowe was keen to realize any assets. Stoke, who had won promotion, appeared to offer Andrew a return to Premiership football – but he spent the next four seasons repeatedly on loan, making only two League appearances for Stoke.

Having been fairly regular as a loanee at fourth-tier Bradford in 2011-12, Andrew signed for them and played twice at Wembley in 2012-13 – in a League Cup Final defeat by Swansea City in February; and in a League Two play-off win v Northampton Town in May. He signed for Dundee in January 2019 but broke a metatarsal four days later. Nearing recovery he again broke the same bone which led to him being released in September 2019 without ever kicking a ball in anger for the Dark Blues.