‘I didn’t expect Damien Duff to become a manager, but the job he did at Shelbourne was incredible’

Keith Gillespie on the charge for Newcastle. Photo: Mark Leech/Getty Images

Keith Gillespie on the charge for Newcastle. Photo: Mark Leech/Getty Images

A notification appeared on Keith Gillespie’s phone yesterday, a picture that has made him smile every September for the last 28 years.

The former Northern Ireland winger racked up more than 550 senior club appearances during his playing days, a journey which began at Manchester United and came to an end in the League of Ireland (with Longford Town).