Just last month Keith Gillespie, who has spent the last two years plying his trade at Longford Town, announced that the forthcoming League of Ireland season would be his last. Like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, he is still playing professionally twenty-one years on from lifting the FA Youth Cup, albeit the environs of City Calling Stadium, Longford Town's home ground, are a far cry from Old Trafford. Furthermore, just over two years ago, Gillespie was declared legally bankrupt by the Belfast High Court, following a petition by HM Revenue and Customs - contrast that with the financial status of his former colleague David Beckham who recently announced that he would donate his entire salary to a children's charity after agreeing a five-month deal with Paris St Germain. The Class of '92 arguably produced the finest bunch of professionals of any youth team, but while the career paths of Gary Neville, Giggs, Scholes, and Beckham are well heralded, the same cannot be said for other members of that side. So I asked myself recently: where are they now?
1. KEVIN PILKINGTON
Having never managed to progress beyond being third choice goalkeeper, Pilkington left Old Trafford for Port Vale on a free transfer in 1998. It didn't quite work out there, but after a brief spell with Welsh side Aberystwyth Town, and an even briefer one with Wigan Athletic, he joined Mansfield Town in 2000 where he eventually established himself as first choice. After making 189 appearances, he departed for Notts County in 2005. Over the next four seasons Pilkington made 149 appearances before falling out of favour. He left for Luton Town but was unable to command a regular starting spot. As well as a loan spell back at Mansfield, he took up a coaching role with non-league Ilkeston F.C. In February 2012, Pilkington was appointed goalkeeping coach at Notts County and subsequently retired from playing. So despite having to drop down the leagues, he managed to forge out a 20 year professional career and a path into coaching.
2. JOHN O'KANE
Made his senior debut in that famous League Cup tie at Port Vale, and also featured as a substitute in that infamous 3-1 defeat at Villa Park. However, O'Kane would only make a further five appearances for United before moving to Everton in January 1998 for a fee of £400,000, after short loan spells at Bury and Bradford. He established himself as a regular for the remainder of the campaign, but fell out of favour the following season. It was back out on loan, first to Burnley, and then to Bolton; the latter was made permanent in December 1999. Eighteen months later O'Kane was on the move around the north-west again, this time to Blackpool. After two years at Bloomfield Road, he dropped out of league football and joined Hyde United; injury eventually forced him into retirement in 2006. While Gary Neville's conversion to full-back plus the later emergence of brother Phil probably did stifle his progress at Old Trafford, many believed O'Kane lacked the necessary drive and passion to make it at the top level and fulfil his true potential.
3. GEORGE SWITZER
Of the starting eleven that took the field against Crystal Palace in the second leg of the 1992 FA Youth Cup final, ten of them would go on to play for the first-team. And then there was George Switzer, the so-called joker of the pack who had been spotted by the club as a eight-year-old playing for Barrhill Lads Club in Salford. He signed professional terms, but was only offered a one year deal after which Alex Ferguson released him, apparently considering the left-back to be too small, although many would argue that there was more to it. Switzer signed for Darlington, then in the fourth tier of English football, on a free transfer in July 1993. However, less than a year later, having failed to establish himself as a regular, he dropped out of full-time football to join non-league Hyde United. Nowadays, while his good mate Ryan Giggs continues to strut his stuff at Old Trafford, Switzer is still togging out for Monton Amateurs in the Manchester Football League.
4. CHRIS CASPER
Son of Frank Casper, a former player, coach, and manager at Burnley, Chris had the ideal upbringing for a young professional footballer. Unfortunately he was forced to follow his father into coaching and management at a much younger age as injury brought a premature end to his playing career at just 24. Held in very high regard at youth level, he captained England to the Under 18 European Championship in 1993, and was also capped for the Under 21s. His first team debut came in the second leg of that League Cup tie against Port Vale, but it proved to be his only appearance of the 1994/95 season. He managed three starts and three substitute appearances during the 1996/97 campaign, but his first team opportunities were limited and not helped by the arrival of Ronny Johnson and Henning Berg at the club. He spent time on loan at Bournemouth, Swindon Town, and Reading, before the latter was made permanent in November 1998. However, just over a year later he suffered a horrific double leg fracture in a league fixture against Cardiff City which proved the last game of Casper's professional career. While undergoing rehabilitation at the University of Bath, he turned his attention to coaching, helping Team Bath to progress to the first round proper of the 2002/03 FA Cup. At Bury he quickly moved through the ranks to takeover as first-team boss in 2005, becoming the youngest manager in English league football. Following his departure in 2008, Casper took backroom jobs at Bradford City and Grimsby Town, before joining the FA Premier League as a club support manager in 2010.
5. GARY NEVILLE
Although Ryan Giggs was available to ultimately skipper the side for the second leg and lift the trophy, Gary Neville was the regular captain and true leader of the class of '92. His 25-year-plus playing association with United began when he joined the club's Centre of Excellence during Ron Atkinson's reign, and ended with a grand testimonial against Juventus in May 2011. Gary made with his senior debut as a substitute in a UEFA Cup against Torpedo Moscow in September 1992, but his full debut didn't come until the final league game of the 1993/94 season. Within a year he had broken into the first team at right-back and won his first international cap for England in an end-of-season friendly against Japan. Despite the emergence of his brother Phil, Gary pretty much remained the first-choice right-back for both club and country for the next ten years, and following Roy Keane's departure in November 2005, was officially appointed club captain. His final three years were blighted by injury before he announced his retirement on 2 February 2011. Arguably the most dedicated professional to ever wear a United shirt, nowadays Gary is even winning over opposition fans in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports, while he also accepted Roy Hodgson's invitation to join the England coaching staff prior to Euro 2012.
6. DAVID BECKHAM
In securing a move to PSG in January, the career path of David Beckham, arguably the most recognisable - and richest - footballer on the planet, now reads Manchester to Madrid, to Los Angeles, to Milan, to Paris. However his fame in the fashion and celebrity worlds should not overshadow a wonderful career which could yet bring more silverware by the season's end. Despite growing up in the London suburb of Leytonstone, and even attending Tottenham's school of excellence, Beckham inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and served as mascot for a game against West Ham United in 1986. While a number of clubs were keen to sign him up on schoolboy forms, his heart was always set on joining The Reds. He was amongst the goals in the first leg of the 1992 FA Youth Cup final, and made his senior debut as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion the following September. A short but impressive loan spell at Preston North End in early 1995 earned him a first Premier League start in a goal-less draw against Leeds United. Despite playing most of his under-age football in central midfield, the departure of Andrei Kanchelskis in the summer of '95 opened an opportunity on the right wing, and as Ferguson placed his faith in his fledglings, Beckham established himself as a regular. However, it was his exploits on the opening day of the 1996/97 that helped propel him to the superstar that he is today as his shot from the half-way line floated over Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan. And unless you have just awoken from a coma, the rest of David Beckham's life story hardly needs telling.
7. NICKY BUTT
Nicky Butt first came to local prominence with Boundary Park Juniors where he played alongside Paul Scholes and later the Neville brothers in what was one of the best under-age side imaginable. Drawing comparisons with his hero Bryan Robson, he grabbed two goals in the first leg of the 1992 FA Youth Cup final and was rewarded with a Premier League debut off the bench against Oldham Athletic the following November. He featured in no fewer than 35 games during the 1994/95 season, scoring one goal, and started in the FA Cup final, which United lost to Everton. With the departure of Paul Ince in the summer of 1995 Butt became Roy Keane's regular partner in central midfield. It was in Keane's injury-forced absence during the 1997/98 season that he arguably shone brightest; however, upon Keane's return, coupled with Paul Scholes development into a midfielder, Butt's first-team chances began to become increasingly limited. He was still featuring regularly, but more often than not found himself out of the team for the bigger games. He earned wide acclaim for his performances for England at the 2002 World Cup, but in January 2004, he handed in a transfer request citing a need for to secure regular first team football and his place in the international squad. He signed for Newcastle United in July 2004 for a fee of £2.5 million. After a difficult first season and subsequent season-long loan at Birmingham City, he finally established himself at St James's Park where he spent six years before announcing his retirement. Butt made a brief return to football with Hong Kong club South China AA from November 2010 to May 2011 before returning to England to pursue his coaching badges. In October 2012 Butt joined the coaching staff at Old Trafford, assisting reserve team manager Warren Joyce; a career in management or coaching probably beckons.
8. SIMON DAVIES
Just like Ryan Giggs, Simon Davies had been courted by Man City as a schoolboy before Alex Ferguson convinced him to sign for United. Ironically he now finds himself back at the City academy as a youth team coach. Equally at home in central midfield or on the left-wing, he grabbed the second goal in the second leg of the 1992 final. Davies's senior debut came in December 1993 during a short loan spell at Exeter. He made his United bow in the aforementioned League Cup tie at Port Vale and went on to make ten appearances over the course of the 1994/95 season, grabbing his one and only senior goal for the Reds in a Champions League game against Galatasaray. Despite being born in Cheshire, he accepted a call-up to the Wales squad and won his sole international cap as a substitute in a friendly against Switzerland in April 1996. However, having fallen down the pecking order, Davies left Old Trafford for Luton Town in a £150,000 deal in August 1997. He struggled to recapture his early promise, moving on to Macclesfield Town and Rochdale, before signing for League of Wales club Bangor City in 2001. He played out the remainder of his career in Welsh football before joining the coaching staff at Chester City in 2006. He took charge of the first team on a caretaker basis for the final game of the 2006/07 and was again appointed caretaker manager the following March before being given the job on a permanent basis. Alas a poor start to the 2008/09 saw him sacked in November. Nevertheless he remained on as youth team manager until the club was dissolved amidst financial difficulties in 2010. He took up his present role at City in 2011.
9. COLIN McKEE
Born in Glasgow, McKee came to attention of United scouts while playing for the Scotland schoolboys side. Primarily a striker, though equally comfortable on the wing, he scored the third and final goal in the second leg of the 1992 Youth Cup. He intermediately made a successful step-up to the reserve team, and was named the 1992/93 Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year, a season during which he also spent a month on loan to Bury. His senior United debut came in the final game of the 1993/94 league campaign when he lined up on the right wing against Coventry. However the game also proved to be his last as he left Old Trafford the following September for Kilmarnock along with defender Neil Whitworth in a combined deal worth £350,000. During a three year stint at Killie, McKee made 78 appearances but only managed a total of twelve goals. After his release in October 1997, he had an unsuccessful trial with Partick Thistle. In June 1998, he signed a short-term deal with Falkirk, but was released yet again the following October 1998. Further short-term contracts followed at Queen of the South and Ross County, before he began the 1999/2000 season at Stirling Albion. However, he was soon on the move again, firstly on loan to Icelandic club Víkingur, then to Queens Park. McKee finished his career by dropping down into junior football with Fauldhouse United before retiring from the game in 2001. Nowadays he earns a living in the construction industry.
10. RYAN GIGGS
Superlatives have always been used to describe Ryan Giggs, whether it was his talent and potential as a teenager, or his achievements and longevity since. By the time he lifted the FA Youth Cup, he had already firmly established himself in the first team, making his senior debut as a 17-year-old against Everton in March 1991, and collected his first piece of silverware, the League Cup, twelve months later when providing the assist to Brian McClair for the only goal of final triumph over Nottingham Forest. With pace and skill in abundance, the young winger quickly drew comparisons with George Best. 22 years and over 1,000 career appearances later his tireless running, ball possession, and ability to carve out goalscoring opportunities means he is still performing superbly at the very highest level, belying his 39 years. Arguably the most decorated player in the modern game, he holds countless records, and his list of accolades and achievements is unlikely to be ever eclipsed. A remarkable professional who crucially blazed a trail for the rest of the class of '92.
11. BEN THORNLEY
Perhaps the greatest testament to Ben Thornley's talent and potential as a winger was that when Ryan Giggs became available for youth team duty during the 1992 cup run, manager Eric Harrison would play the latter upfront. However, unfortunately it was a talent and potential that was never quite fulfilled principally because of a horrific injury suffered in a reserve outing just weeks after making his first team debut as a substitute in a league game at West Ham. Major knee ligament damage sustained following a reckless tackle by Blackburn defender Nicky Marker kept Thornley out of action for over a year; it proved a huge setback to his development at United as the period out coincided with the graduation of many of his peers into the first team. Although he would go on to be capped at under 21 level for England upon his return, he had noticeably lost some of his pace and trickery, and left Old Trafford for Huddersfield in 1998 after an initial loan spell. He spent three seasons there before moving north to Aberdeen for a season-and-a-half. Short stints at Blackpool, Bury, and Halifax followed before he dropped down into non-league football. Off the field, he sued Marker and Blackburn in 1997, settling out of court for a reported six-figure sum. Nowadays he is a regular in the commentary booth for MUTV.
12. ROBBIE SAVAGE
With the obvious exception of David Beckham, Robbie Savage is arguably the most public of the class of '92 since his move into the broadcast media as both a radio presenter and pundit, not to mention his jaunts into reality television in the form of appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Juice. Born in Wrexham, he actually joined United's trainee ranks as a striker. Part of both the 1992 and 1993 youth teams, with a reputation for being the flashiest dresser, the worst day of Savage's life came in the summer of 1994 when Alex Ferguson told him that he was being released; it nearly turned out to be his last as later that day he was involved in a head-on car collision. Fortunately he made a quick recovery and signed for Crewe Alexandra, then of Division Two (modern-day League One). Under the management of Dario Gradi, Savage was successfully converted into a central midfielder and was foremost in helping the club to back-to-back play-off finishes. They made it third time lucky and achieved promotion in 1997, but Savage, by now a Welsh international, had attracted the attention of Leicester City manager Martin O'Neill and made the move to the Premiership club. He took little time to establish himself in the top flight, quickly gaining a reputation as an energetic and fiery midfield player. Controversy was never too far away either during his five seasons at Leicester and his subsequent time at Birmingham, Blackburn, and Derby County. Few 19-year-olds leave Old Trafford and bounce back quite like Robbie Savage has - by the time he retired from the game in 2011 he had clocked up over 600 appearances, not to mention an impressive haul of yellow cards!
14. KEITH GILLESPIE
And so to the man who prompted this article. Over twenty years after making a sensational goalscoring debut against Bury in the FA Cup in January 1993, his problems off the field have more often than not overshadowed his career on it; principally his self-confessed gambling addiction and the aforementioned declaration of bankruptcy, an action allegedly taken over an unpaid tax bill. However, inevitably one has to wonder: what if he was never allowed to leave Old Trafford for Newcastle as part of the deal that brought Andy Cole to United in January 1995? Just three months earlier he had scored another fantastic goal in a 2-0 victory over the Magpies which served notice of his undoubted potential. Perhaps he might have nailed down the right-wing position for himself before David Beckham had the chance to stake his claim. Maybe his career and personal life may not have been rail-roaded to the extent that they have. After a decent three-and-a-half years at Newcastle, he moved to Blackburn Rovers, then onto Leicester City and Sheffield United. In 2009 he made a shock return to Belfast to sign for Glentoran. He made the move down south to Longford in March 2011; just days after Ryan Giggs recently made his 1000th career appearance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, Gillespie, capped 84 times by Northern Ireland, helped his side to a 5-0 victory on the opening weekend of the 2013 League of Ireland season.
JOE ROBERTS & LEONARD TAYLOR
Striker Joe Roberts and defender Leonard Taylor were both on the bench for the first leg of the final, with Roberts coming on for Robbie Savage. Taylor was never offered a professional contract whilst Roberts was released two years later without making a senior appearance for the club. Unfortunately they both dropped out of football soon after leaving Old Trafford.
MARK GORDON & RAPHAEL BURKE
Defender Mark Gordon and forward Raphael Burke both featured in the early rounds; Gordon had signed a one-year professional contract in the summer of 1991 but was subsequently released at the end of season. Burke, a year younger, agreed professional terms after the 1992 final, but was released in April 1993. The highly-rated former England youth international gave up playing at an early age, moved into coaching, and now works for the Bristol City Junior Academy.
IN THE STANDS: PAUL SCHOLES
21 years on it is difficult to believe that Paul Scholes failed to feature anywhere for the 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning team; having initially been spotted playing for Cardinal Langley High School by Brian Kidd, his small stature meant that it took him a little longer to establish himself at Old Trafford. However, twelve months later he emerged as a free-scoring centre-forward, and although United came up short against Leeds United in the FA Youth Cup final, Scholes won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award. He was also the last of the top graduates to make the step up to senior level, but when he did, what an instant impact; he scored twice on his debut against Port Vale in the League Cup, and also grabbed a goal on his first league appearance three days later when coming off the bench at Ipswich. However, it was a move back into central midfield during the 1996/97 season that saw the true emergence of Scholes's talent. His creativity, vision, passing, and goalscoring ability have literally made him irreplaceable as evidenced by his retirement in 2011 and subsequent return in January 2012. One does not dare contemplate his second retirement!
OTHERS:
The remaining pupils of the class of '92 were second year apprentices Andy Noone, Paul Gough, and Colin Telford; all three were subsequently released. The other first year apprentices were Karl Brown, Steven Riley, Craig Dean, and Mark Rawlinson. All four were offered professional terms ahead of the 1993/94 season, but Brown and Riley were released a year later and dropped out of full-time football. Rawlinson left Old Trafford in the summer of 1995 and joined Bournemouth where he spent five years before moving to Exeter City. He subsequently dropped down to non-league football and became a policeman. Dean, who was capped by England at youth level, was also released in 1995 and after somewhat of a journeyman career, he is now a skills coach with the FA.
