My early memories are full of football talk around the house, of Dad standing on the terraces at Ayresome Park, of the occasional precious new pair of boots.

I was never, ever physically afraid. My terms of reference were basic and simple: put the ball in the net. That was my job, that's the way I saw it, and I allowed nothing and nobody to distract me from that purpose.

They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but I wasn't on that particular job.

To me, scoring goals was just like other boys might regard delivering papers. I just did it - every day.