A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER ON UNI CHALLENGE-surely not?

Last night, a quiet evening in, the telly and what better than University Challenge, "The Christmas Special" with Alumni representing their old colleges. I enjoy the weekly watch of teams from the country's universities lock horns. They usually know a lot of the answers to some obscure (to me) subjects, thrown at them by Jeremy Paxman (an old Malvernian), someone whom I brushed shoulders with queuing for an evening meal at St Catharine's College, many years ago. Despite Malvern College's prestige as a footballing school, Paxman didn't feature in Malvern team colours! Too busy reading books I suppose.

While I write this, Steve Leonard Palmer, who was one of the Christ's College Alumni team last night, will shortly be the subject of a Talksport interview, with Hawksbee and Jacob, no doubt the result of his quiz programme debut. 

Steve is a Sussex boy and he went to a Brighton state school, Dorothy Stringer HS. He won a place at Christ's College, Cambridge and read "Software Engineering", as well as winning his Blue playing soccer for the university, significantly, in the Varsity Match against Oxford University AFC. He also played one First Class cricket match for the university team against Lancashire CCC, playing with Uni captain, Mike Atherton, who of course is a Lancastrian. Palmer and Atherton also may have met on a school football pitch when Malvern College played their annual fixture against Manchester GS. 

Palmer is the only Cambridge Blue, in the "modern" era, to gain a future in professional football.

Born in Brighton, a Sussex lad, he graced Sussex Schools' football and was at Brighton HA from 12, and the Reserves. He was encouraged to stay at school by manager Alan Mullery and then was associated with Cambrdge United when at Uni. Steve joined Ipswich, when he graduated, in 1989 until 1995 with 110 apps and scoring 2 goals! Then it was Watford FC, playing 234 games (2001) with 8 goals. He then played at QPR until 2004 (127/9) and then finally, had two years at MK Dons (34/1).

Playing for Watford, at the end of the 1997-8 season, I presume with no pressure on the result, Steve pulled on the keeper's top at the start of the game, so he wore the "No 1" shirt. He then quickly swapped to his normal number and in this, the final game of the season v Fulham, wore the No 9 shirt, becoming the only player to wear every team number, 1-14, in one season. Watford won the Division 2 title that season, hence the frivolity? Maybe something to do with Graham Taylor's clever stategy. In the following season Palmer was voted "Player of the Year", by the Watford fans, as the club was promoted back to back.

In his retirement, Palmer became a football analyst and was the Academy Performance Manager at Spurs, was Watford's Recruitment Manager and worked with the Premier League, tracking individuals in a "Performance Elite Player Performance Plan", EPPP.  Here's Steve with his Uni chums, at the start!

Won't show you then end, let's say it was a bit one sided.