Capped at Schools and Youth level, goalkeeper Phil Kite had been ever-present, in 1982-83, for his home-town Bristol Rovers. Displaced, during the next season, by the veteran Ray Cashley, he elected, come the summer, to swap Rovers’ Reserves for Southampton’s Reserves, as an understudy to Peter Shilton.

Having been limited to four appearances in Division I over the next two seasons, he was effectively fourth-choice ’keeper behind Keith Granger and Tim Flowers for 1986-87. So he went on loan to Third Division Gillingham, whom he joined permanently at the season’s end. He would sign for four more clubs and go on loan to another five, before returning to Rovers in 1996, having just qualified as a physio. Both of his sons, Alex (who made the first-team bench, unused) and Chris have been on Rovers’ books. When he retired as Bristol Rovers physiotherapist in May 2015 he was given a testimonial.