At £600,000 David Armstrong was a record signing for Saints when he joined from Middlesbrough and, at Ayresome Park, originally under Jack Charlton’s stewardship, once completed a run of 356 consecutive appearances and won an England cap. His subsequent period at The Dell encompassed some of the club’s best ever seasons and he was equally at home as a box-to-box midfielder with an eye for goal or, if needed, a steady left-back, a position he filled more as he turned 30.

Among more glamorous players (Keegan, Channon, Ball etc) the unsung Armstrong was named player-of-the-year in 1984 and his consistency and efficiency seldom stole the headlines, but poor games could be counted on one hand.

He really should have won more than the eventual three caps, for anyone who on two occasions could score 15 top-flight goals from midfield would, today, be regarded as internationally indispensable. An ankle injury worsened after he moved to Bournemouth and his career was quickly over from a playing standpoint, indeed it was severe enough to necessitate six operations, preclude him from major coaching duties and even according to his autobiography “The Bald Facts” published 2013 had him considering amputation.

He remained connected to the game as a community or commercial officer with various clubs and combined a day job in office supplies with football punditry or commentary on local radio while living local to Southampton.