Colin Cooper

After joining as a youth trainee at 16 from school, in my first two or three years the club was on a financial downward spiral and there was none of the new sparkling kit and the sparkling conditions that the kids get now.

When I left Bradford and got a phone call from Dave Parnaby asking 'did I want to come back in?', I was delighted to accept. The whole buzz at the club at the moment is great for someone like me who is still learning and wanting to hopefully go into management in my own right at some point.

We weren't treated as prima-donnas. We had to roll up our sleeves and graft with the groundsman. Kids don't have to do anymore. That makes you appreciate things when it turns in your favour and you become a successful professional.

If I wasn't acting, I'd try and be a footballer. I wouldn't be a musician because I can't write my own music. Realistically, I'd probably do something with dogs, like a vet or something. I love animals.