John McGreal

Having played in the lower divisions all of his career, John McGreal was not overawed when he finally reached the top flight and proved that he was capable of holding his own, thus justifying Ipswich Town boss George Burley's decision to sign him from Tranmere Rovers.

Very comfortable on the ball, he has excellent distribution and the ability to turn defence into attack in an instant.

He was a particularly fine crosser of the ball from deep positions.

However his best attribute is the last-ditch tackle - on numerous occasions in 2000-01 he was the last line of defence and managed to win the ball with a clean tackle.

He was also very helpful to young Titus Bramble, guiding him through his first full league campaign.

Being a Merseyside lad, he was particularly satisfied with Town's impressive wins at both Everton and Liverpool.

Indeed, it was his goal, a superb header from Jim Magilton's floated free kick, which paved the way for the 3-0 win at Goodison Park.

John joined Burnley in July 2004 on a three-year contract.