Aside from a short spell in the NASL with the Seattle Sounders, Kevin Bond spent the first 12 seasons of his career playing for his father, John. Starting as a 15 year-old at Bournemouth, he moved with his dad to Norwich, to make 140 appearances in the First Division. He remained at that level with Manchester City, surviving for a season beyond City’s relegation and John Bond’s exit.

Then, in September 1984, with Southampton near the foot of the First Division and Reuben Agboola transfer-lister over a disciplinary issue, Lawrie McMenemy signed Kevin as his replacement.

He slotted into a centre-back partnership with Mark Wright and the Saints stormed up the table, to qualify for Europe,

only to be denied by UEFA’s ruling that all English clubs be banned indefinitely from its competitions, following the manslaughter of Juventus fans by a Liverpool mob at the 1985 European Cup Final. The Bond-Wright partnership continued to thrive in 1985-86, under Chris Nicholl – until Wright broke his leg in the 1986 FA Cup semi-final v Liverpool. Kevin looks upon that day as the worst in his Southampton career – he “didn’t get enough on a back-header to Peter Shilton,” allowing Ian Rush in for the first of his two extra-time goals.

The Saints reached the League Cup semi-final in 1987 but again lost to Liverpool.Wright now left for Derby and Kevin formed another solid partnership with Kevin Moore – just for a season. He then returned to Bournemouth, enjoying their first experience of Division II. After a third-tier stint at Alan Ball’s Exeter, Kevin ran a café in Southampton for a while. A spell in Kentish football was followed by a return to Manchester City, his introduction to coaching. Then, having managed Stafford Rangers in the Dr Martens League, he re-united with Alan Ball, as his assistant at Portsmouth.

When Ball departed, Kevin left and played for Salisbury. But he was soon back at Portsmouth, under Harry Redknapp. He next followed Redknapp to Southampton and back, before going to assist Glenn Roeder at Newcastle. He soon featured in a BBC Panorama investigation into corruption in football and was dismissed by Newcastle. Regretting that Newcastle failed to “stand by him,” Harry Redknapp devotes a chunk of his 2013 autobiography to a detailed exoneration of Kevin. Following a third stint with Bournemouth, this time as manager. Kevin rejoined Harry, assisting him at Tottenham, at QPR and more recently Birmingham, although in his most recent and short-lived foray into management, at Southend he was without his senior partner.