| An admired and predominantly dependable goalkeeper for an otherwise unheralded Manchester United team of the 1980s, South Africa-raised Gary Bailey became more known for his continuous presence as one of the permitted over-age players in the England under 21 team through the decade, rather than his fruitless attempts - along with a number of other goalkeepers - to hold a candle to Peter Shilton's merciless stranglehold on the jersey. Bailey played twice, both games 1985 friendlies, and conceded one goal in each game - a 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland at Wembley; and a1-0 defeat to the hosts during a mini-tournament in Mexico (the photo above is during the game), a year before he hoped to understudy Shilton at the World Cup. This he did, but as third choice behind confirmed deputy Chris Woods, although it was immaterial as Shilton unsurprisingly stayed fit and available for the whole tournament - unlike Bailey, who seriously injured his knee during a training game which began the end of his career. QPR's David Seaman took advantage to grab the third keeping berth and begin his slow climb to the helm. (Matthew Rudd) |