Former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley has revealed the truth behind his City Ground exit and subsequent move to Middlesbrough.
The 50-year-old was a product of the Forest academy and went on to make nearly 400 appearances across an 11-year spell with the East Midlands club.
After slipping behind Dave Beasant in the pecking order at the City Ground, Crossley was released by the club in 2000 as new manager David Platt looked to reshape his squad.
The shot-stopper joined Boro later that summer, however, it appears he was set to move north of the border and sign with Hibs instead.
Speaking to Teesside Live, Crossley revealed that his former Forest teammate Colin Cooper called him on behalf of Bryan Robson to convince him to move to the North East club.
He added: "Then Robbo rang me, he said, 'get yourself up here, have a medical and a chat.
"I'll be honest, the financial package from Boro was a lot better, I wasn't too far away from home in Barnsley, I knew it was a fantastic football with a great stadium, good players and a good team.
"And you know what, I thought I can get in this team. I always had that mentality. I had to ring Alex McLeish and tell him I was signing for Boro, he wasn't too happy to be honest, but it all happened in a day."
Things didn't really go to plan for Crossley at Boro. The 50-year-old spent three seasons at the club but managed just 31 appearances and was never able to cement a place in the starting XI.
He left Boro in 2003 and spells at Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield would follow before he retired in 2011.
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The Verdict
Crossley was a fantastic servant for Boro, making nearly 400 appearances across a career that lasted nearly a decade.
It's interesting to hear the truth behind his exit from Forest and move to Boro, particularly how close he was to joining Hibs.
You wonder whether that would have been a better move for the goalkeeper, given he failed to ever really establish himself with the North East club.