"TO PLAY WITH KEANE WAS AN HONOUR - IT'S SAD THAT I GET TO DEAL WITH A PANTOMIME VILLAIN NOW"

The 52-time Republic of Ireland midfielder looks back on the Saipan Spat, the Spice Boys and going from non-league football to starring at Anfield...

-  Andy Greeves

You got your big break at 20 when you signed for Division Three Bolton from sixth-tier Marine. How did it happen?

Back in the late 1980s, there weren't any youth academies. I got to 15 and was having trials at Manchester United and Tranmere, but they didn’t see enough to offer me an apprenticeship. I went to art school and studied graphic design while I carried on playing local football. To fund college and give my mum some keep, I worked in a bar near Tranmere’s ground. Someone came in who played for Marine. He said, “I heard you're doing really well - do you fancy having a trial at Marine?” I had a trial, ended up in the reserves, then got offered a scholarship in America when I was 20. After I came back, I rejoined Marine. The reserve side were playing in a competition called the Lancashire League, facing Manchester United youth, Liverpool youth, Blackburn and Bolton... I came up against Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Steve McManaman... Bolton's boss at the time was Phil Neal - he pulled me after a match and offered me a trial. After three days, they handed me a contract from January until the end of the season, so I called the university in America to say I wasn't coming back. As a goodwill gesture, they [Bolton] gave Marine £500 and a bag of footballs; that was basically my transfer fee, and from there I was a Bolton player.

How do you reflect on your time there?