Having broken into his home-town team during 1975-76, Peter Wells lost his place after Forest’s poor start to the following season. Lawrie McMenemy snapped him up for £8,000 and Peter took over from Ian Turner, becoming the Saints’ fifth goalkeeper of the season as McMenemy rebuilt his Cup-winning side for promotion. That goal was duly achieved in 1997-78, with Wells playing far more often than Turner. But now he had to compete with Terry Gennoe, who played almost throughout the team’s two Cup runs in 1978-79, including the League Cup Final. Over the next three seasons, Peter saw off Gennoe and then outlasted Ivan Katalinic.

But then Peter Shilton arrived – from Forest, of all places – in the summer of 1982. Wells had outlived three competitors in five-and-a-half seasons at The Dell, but could not hope to contest the jersey with Shilton. Still only 27, he had almost 200 lower-division games left in him, before he wound down in non-league football. After which, he spent some time in the Middle East in the oil industry before returning to Nottingham, where he became a taxi-driver.