WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

In their current form, Leeds United may count themselves lucky that the Birmingham City side they meet in the Coca-Cola Cup semi-final on Sunday is not of the calibre of the one Bob Hatton represented 24 years ago. Among those alongside the much-travelled striker in their 1972 FA Cup semi-final against Leeds were Kenny Burns, Gordon Taylor, Bob Latchford and Trevor Francis. Leeds won 3-0 but then they were at the zenith of their powers.

Hatton's nine-club career peaked at Birmingham, where he scored 58 of his 222 League goals. It ended 12 years ago at Cardiff. "I decided to call it a day at 36," he said. "I wanted to get out with at least some semblance of respectability."

Nowadays, after a fashion, he plays for another Gordon Taylor team, visiting clubs on behalf of PFA Financial Management, alongside Vince O'Keefe, Des Bremner and Dave "super sub" Fairclough. "We were all recruited from the financial services industry," Hatton said. "We try to see as many players as possible to give advice on pensions and financial planning."

Hatton, who worked on building sites and the docks as a young man in Hull, received comparatively little advice. "My life has been a sequence of lucky breaks," he said. "I was introduced to insurance while I was still playing. When I finished I was able to start full-time immediately."

He doubles as an expert summariser for BBC Radio WM and will be at St Andrews on Sunday in that capacity.

Jon Culley