Kevin BEATTIE

                                       Kevin Beattie's England Career.

Nicknamed "Diamond" by his Ipswich manager Bobby Robson because he felt his scouting system had unearthed a real gem, the England career of hard-as-nails defender Kevin Beattie was a tragic story of what might have been. Just 20 when Don Revie gave him his first cap, Beattie was three seasons into his life as a first-teamer, flitting easily between roles as centre back and left back and excelling in each.

Revie chose to play him at left back on a quiet night for England's defence as Malcolm Macdonald single-handedly did for the Cypriots in a European Championship qualifier and kept him in place for the visit to Limassol where the same opposition were beaten, less indelicately, again a month later. Beattie's third cap produced a great goal - rare for him even at club level - when he charged forward to join a Kevin Keegan-inspired counter attack and headed his cross over Scotland keeper Stewart Kennedy as England destroyed the auld enemy 5-1 in the Home Internationals and Kennedy clattered into the goalpost in his fruitless efforts to save.

It peaked here; Beattie's constant battles with injury (some of which were not sustained during football matches) and a glut of competitors for both his positions (including his own club skipper Mick Mills) meant that his final cap came in 1977 when he was not yet 24, and that was in the 2-0 win against Luxembourg as England's efforts to reach the 1978 World Cup fell way short. (Matthew Rudd)