In the first of a two-part series, oceaniafootball.com takes a lot at the achievements of some of these former stars and finds out what they are up to now.
Brett Angell:
The rangy targetman was a massive hit for Stockport County and Southend United in the late 80s and early 90s but not so much for top-flight sides Everton and Sunderland, where he spent a season each. Angell failed to replicate his lower division form at the highest level and is regarded by fans of both clubs as one of the most poorly performed players to turn out in their colours. But he revived his fortunes with a move back to Stockport in 1996 and had become a club legend by the time he left for Walsall in 2000. Two years later, he became one of the first players to enter Stockport’s Hall of Fame. In total, Angell made over 500 professional appearances and scored 187 goals. He is now based in Manawatu as a development manager for Central Football.
To watch Angell scoring with a trademark header click here
Darren Bazeley:
The right fullback enjoyed a ten-year spell with Watford from 1989 and even earned an England U-21 cap in 1992. He made over 230 appearances for the club, scoring 21 goals, and helped them to promotion to the Premier League in his final season. Strangely, he spurned the chance to appear in England’s top division and opted for a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The chance to play at the highest level never arose again and he joined Walsall before heading down under to take part in the inaugural A-League season for the New Zealand Knights. After the demise of the Auckland-based club, he linked up with Waitakere United for a one-year playing spell before becoming assistant coach of the side. He holds the same role for the U-17 New Zealand team and will head to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico in June.
To watch Bazeley find the net for Watford click here
Martin Bullock:
Not many players in the Pacific can boast of being part of a side that has beaten giants Liverpool and Manchester United but Bullock is one such man. The pint-sized midfielder is best known by English fans for an eight-year spell at Yorkshire club Barnsley, the highlight of which was a sole season in the Premier League in 1997/98. A skilful winger in those days, he played an important part in the Tykes’ rise – which culminated in their only ever appearance in the top flight – and made almost 200 appearances during his spell, including that memorable 1-0 league win at Anfield and the shock 3-2 home success over Manchester United in the FA Cup. Bullock also played for Blackpool, Macclesfield Town (under the legendary Paul Ince) and Wycombe Wanderers and, like Bazeley, has made one appearance for his country at U-21 level. After retiring in 2008, he brought his wife and two children to Auckland and turned out in the Northern League for Waitakere City before becoming part of the Waitakere United national league squad. He won Player of the Year in his first season and was a regular again this year.
To watch Bullock’s Barnsley side beat Manchester United click here
Jason Chewins:
Tough-tackling defender Chewins became a revered figure at Aldershot during his ten years with the club. He holds the record for the most number of appearances, playing nearly 500 times from 1994 and becoming the first, and to date only, player to receive a testimonial match, against Portsmouth in 2004. He won the club’s Player of the Year gong in 1999 and 2002 and went on to become a fans’ favourite again at his next club, Havant and Waterlooville. He turned up in the Waikato in the late 2000s and played for Cambridge before heading to Hamilton and starring for Melville. Despite having no intention of playing when he arrived in New Zealand – he did not even bring a pair of boots over with him – he lined up in the national league for Waikato FC this year.
Sean Devine:
Striker Devine was hardly a goalscoring sensation during his two-year spell with the Knights, finding the net just three times in his 24 appearances. But just a few years earlier he had been one of the most prolific players in the English game, breaking the all-time goalscoring record at two clubs and becoming a cult hero in the process. The Republic of Ireland B international started his career at Milwall but never made a first-team appearance and ended up at fellow London side Barnet via a brief spell in Cyprus. It was there he made a name for himself, smashing home nearly 50 goals in his four seasons with the Bees to break the record. He did likewise at his next club, Wycombe Wanderers, coming close to a half century of strikes again from just over 100 appearances – a ratio of a goal every other game. He then moved on to Exeter City, whom he captained to a famous scoreless draw against Manchester United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford in 2005. After his ill-fated stint with the Knights, Devine played local football in Auckland for Metro and Lynn-Avon United before moving into coaching at Metro.
To watch Devine score a rare goal for the Knights click here