Starting out at any new job, school or university can be daunting, as you try to navigate hierarchies while proving your own worth.
Now imagine how more difficult that would be when your new colleagues are Wimbledon's infamous Crazy Gang - arguably the most macho and mischievous squad in British football history.
For former goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, who broke into the Wimbledon first team in 1986, with the Crazy Gang in their wild pomp, it was an education that he’ll never forget.
‘You had to look after each other’ Sullivan recalls the dealbreakers every Wimbledon player had to adhere to in the club’s most notorious era
“It was tough,” admits Sullivan, speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo ahead of the World Cup via PayPal casinos UK. “I was just fresh out of school on the YTS in 1986, so that was kind of leading up to the FA Cup win. So there were the likes of Fash and Vinny.
“It was tough but it was good as well. It was a great education into football, obviously coming from school into the real world. You had to work hard, you had to fit in with a team and you had to look after each other. So yeah, tough, but good fun as well.”
Asked if the dressing room banter of the time would be accepted in today’s era, Sullivan is adamant.
“God no, not in a million years,” chuckles the 28-cap Scotland international, who stayed at Wimbledon until 2000. “Yeah, there were hijinks pretty much every day. There was always something going on.
“I think you've probably heard the tales that you're allowed to hear already, but there was just loads of things going on every single day. You’d come in and someone would have done something.
“You’d get in your car to leave at the end of the day and someone's nicked your keys and done something to your car, or you're getting dressed and someone's cut your gear up. You never went into work with your best gear, put it that way.”
