Callum Howe

Firstly, Keith played three centre-backs, so Callum Howe would certainly have featured in some capacity. The issue with Howe still confuses me to this day, he tore up the National League with Southport, looked just as good at Eastleigh but couldn’t get a look in at Port Vale. Now he’s at York City where, once again, he looks like a robust defender.

Keith liked his defenders honest, hard-working and committed, all the things Howe was. There was more of a tendency to hammer it out from the back under the big man, not so much anymore under Danny and Nicky. Even in the National League, Sean Raggett would carry it out from the back, feed into the wide players and start an attack that way. We played diagonally into Rheady, yes, but we weren’t as direct as the class of 2002/03.

With room for three centre halves, Howe would have surely got lots of game time had he been around under Keith, and maybe he could have bridged the gap between National League and Football League, something he currently hasn’t found the platform to achieve.