Chris Baird’s first taste of the big stage came when he appeared in Matt Le Tissier’s sell-out St Mary’s testimonial in May 2002, but 12 months later he had an even bigger taste when he was a surprise pick for Southampton’s FA Cup Final team v Arsenal at Cardiff. He had only ever started one game previously for the club – the previous week’s win at Maine Road, but Gordon Strachan had no qualms over making him Saints right-back on the day and he acquitted himself confidently with a couple of goal-line clearances and a long curling shot that took David Seaman by surprise.

Thierry Henri was named man-of-the-match but Baird, the rookie had pushed him a close second.

His future looked promising but both Paul Sturrock and Harry Redknapp, his subsequent managers, preferred he went out on loan and it wasn’t until George Burley took over he began to see consistent first-team football.

Indeed his form in 2006-07 was such that he was player-of-the-season.

He featured in both play-off games against Derby, but with Saints ultimately missing out on a return to the Premier league he was sold that summer for a fee of just over £3m as the belt began to tighten around the club’s finances. He since carved out a long career in the top two divisions, with the highlight being part of Fulham’s team that played Athletico Madrid in the Europa Cup Final in 2010. He won a total of 79 Northern Irish caps and his international career peaked when he was part of their 2016 Euros squad. He retired from international football that summer and announced his retirement from football in February 2019