At 19 years of age Roy Keane made his bow for one of the biggest clubs in England in the unfamiliar position of right wing - but that doesn't even begin to hammer home the extraordinary circumstances behind it.
The Cork native never expected to be thrown in at the deep end for Nottingham Forest's clash with league champions Liverpool.
But that didn't stop legendary manager Brian Clough from informing him that he was starting opposite none other than reigning Footballer of the Year John Barnes - and doing so in Clough's own inimitable style.
