Tommy Hutchison played more than 1,100 senior games over three decades, from Scottish amateur football as a teenager with Alloa Athletic to the Welsh Valleys with Merthyr Tydfil at the age of 46.
He never needed to worry about the threat levelled, as he quit his decorating job to sign as a professional at Blackpool, that he would not be allowed to paint or decorate again in Fifeshire if he was determined to leave without serving a month's notice.
Instead, he embarked upon a distinguished career, including eight years at Coventry City where they called him 'Mr Magic' and a World Cup with Scotland.