When Gordon Strachan took over at St Mary’s, he promptly returned to his previous club, Coventry City, for Paul Telfer,

a player capable of doing a job for him, whether in midfield or at full-back, the position in which he had made his one appearance for Scotland in March 2000.

Paul’s versatility and fitness (James Beattie reckoned he played with none fitter) was amply demonstrated in his first two seasons at Southampton. In 2001-02, he was a midfielder, who stood in a couple of times at right-back for Jason Dodd. He even scored in the last game of that season, as the 10-man Saints beat Newcastle 3-1. That win moved them up two places and Rupert Lowe was so pleased at the £300,000 thus earned that he told Paul he wanted to kiss him. As Dodd struggled with injuries in 2002-03, Paul deputised for him – until Strachan took the dramatic decision to drop Fabrice Fernandes and to push Paul further forward for the FA Cup Final.

Over the next two seasons, Paul continued to switch positions, not just for Strachan but for the three managers who succeeded him. After which, he rejoined his mentor at Celtic.

He was a regular at full-back as the Bhoys won the SPL in 2006 and again, until April, as they topped the table on their way to another title. His departure from Celtic in April 2007 was not for football reasons – at 35, he was still going strong – but because his family, unable to settle in Scotland, had already returned to Hampshire. Paul now announced his retirement, but would twice change his mind. First, he signed for League One Bournemouth. When he suffered an injury half-way through the 2007-08 season, he ripped up his contract, thereby sparing the struggling club having to pay him while he sat out the season. He repeated that magnanimous act, in 2008-09, at third-tier Leeds. He had signed for Gary McAllister, his former Coventry team-mate, who deployed him as a centre-back. But there was no place for Paul, once Simon Grayson took over in mid-season. He again abandoned his contract, rather than be paid for not playing.

Let nobody say that Paul Telfer was ever in it for the money.

His League career was over, but he would continue, into his forties, to play non-league football, a solitary appearance for Slough Town – a favour to a friend – being followed by regular games, as player-coach, at Sutton United, managed by his Winchester neighbour, Paul Dodswell. Having completed his coaching badges, Paul’s next qualification-target is an Open University degree in Pyschology while also becoming a tiler in his own company based in the Winchester area.