Tottenham invested £3m in centre-half Calum Davenport, who had been capped at U-18 and U-19 levels during his four seasons with Coventry, latterly in the Championship. He would add eight U-21 caps while with Spurs, yet he would play more games on loan from them than he ever played for them. An early loan-acquisition by Harry Redknapp in the January 2005 window, he ousted Andreas Jakobsson to partner Claus Lundekvam at centre-back.

But with a relegation battle on their hands, the Southampton defence was no place for a player with so little Premiership experience. So Jakobsson soon returned, although Calum came off the bench during the last-day defeat that confirmed the Saints’ relegation.

Returning to Tottenham, he was soon on loan again. Eventually, he moved to West Ham, where he had a dozen games in the Premiership but was dispatched for two more loan-spells. His West Ham – and, indeed, first-class – career ended through an off-field incident in August 2009, involving criminal charges: against Calum for assaulting his sister; and against her boyfriend for stabbing him in his legs, occasioning a serious loss of blood and emergency surgery.

In July 2010, Calum was found not guilty, but his contract with West Ham had by then been terminated by mutual consent. He had recovered sufficiently to have trials, in the summer of 2010, with Forest and Leeds, but he opted to join Wootton Blue Cross, the United Counties League club who play near his home in Bedford, some nine tiers below the Premiership. The initial plan was to get fit enough for a return to League football, but Calum became their player-coach for 2011-12. He then signed on for Elstow Abbey FC. in Bedfordshire but in March 2015 he was arrested under suspicion of assault after an away match versus Cranfield Utd. Davenport had been sent off and a fracas occurred in the away dressing room after the game with the result a few days later he was expelled from the club.

He then moved to Plymouth as his daughter was a promising swimmer and her Tavistock school had facilities for her to train. In January 2019 the Plymouth Herald reported that Davenport “was on a journey of religious discovery and had found his calling working with and tutoring local at the Sir John Hunt Community Sports College”. Davenport explained “Reverend Richard Bache invited me to play in a football match – the staff versus the sixth formers, then he asked me to speak to the kids afterward. He kind of set me up a little bit because I was not expecting it. The kids kept firing questions at me about belief – where does your belief come from, how do people make it, and this sort of stuff. Richard, told me the kids were hanging off every word I was saying.

I could obviously play the game but I was more interested in people. That fits in with the church. Underneath the surface, we have all got baggage and we kind of don’t talk about it or like to share it. I have found the love and support walking into a church”.