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Everton's hard-running left back Andy Hinchcliffe was the obligatory debutant in the opening match for a new England coach when Glenn Hoddle played him in a more offensive wide role, ahead of Stuart Pearce, in a fine 3-0 win over Moldova at Wembley, kicking off England's campaign to get to the 1998 World Cup in style. England had been without a naturally left-footed midfielder during the self-hosted European Championships that summer, and Hoddle preferred to use nature on the flanks where it was available, deeming Hinchcliffe, already 27 years old, a suitable candidate.
Few eyebrows were raised at his call-up owing to the breaks given to a new coach at honeymoon time, and Hinchcliffe stuck around for the next two years, winning seven caps altogether without a hint of incident or, frankly, real progress beyond reliability. However, he was extremely handy - if rather functional - when Hoddle switched to a three-at-the-back system and therefore needed someone with defensive attributes to operate the flanks, and for this reason Hinchcliffe seemed a decent bet to make the final squad once England qualified for the World Cup. However, he was in the handful of players, helmed by Paul Gascoigne, who were omitted at the final stage, and won just one more cap afterwards under Hoddle at the end of 1998. (Matthew Rudd)
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