When Peter Beardsley joined his hometown club Newcastle United in 1983, he did so having failed to establish himself under Ron Atkinson at Manchester United, as well as having two spells with Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps.
The £150,000 that the Magpies parted with to get the attacker instantly looked to be a snip though when his 20 goals helped the club gain promotion to the First Division.
His strike-partnership with Kevin Keegan, who retired at the end of the campaign, also captured the imagination of the St James' Park faithful.
© PA Photos
Such performances attracted the attention of England manager Sir Bobby Robson and with it came the lure of Liverpool. Beardsley joined the Reds in 1987 and won two league titles, before spending a couple of seasons with rivals Everton.
On this day in 1993, Beardsley was 32, but it did not stop Keegan - now manager of Newcastle - forking out £1.5m to bring him back to Tyneside.
Just as he had done with his manager a decade previously, Beardsley struck up an instant understanding with the team's centre-forward - Andy Cole.
© PA Photos
Newcastle had only just been promoted to the Premier League, but Beardsley's 21 goals and Cole's 34 (a number of which were assisted by his strike partner) helped the club finish third and in a UEFA Cup spot.
As the seasons rolled by, Beardsley continued to produce the goods and he almost captained Newcastle to the Premier League title during the 1995-96 campaign, but they were pipped by Manchester United on the final day.
When his second and final stint with Newcastle was brought to an end in 1997, the Hexham-born star had scored 117 goals in the black and white shirt.
Liam Apicella
