Where are they now? Part 1

Alan Kernaghan
Signed from Middlebrough in September of 1993, the rotund Yorkshireman would go on to make 78 appearances for the club over an uneventful four-year period that included loan spells at Bolton, Bradford and St. Johnstone. Short of skill, pace, and often asleep, the Irish international could perhaps be considered Brian Horton's poorest signing, one fluked lob during an FA Cup tie against Leicester City at Maine Road being his only notable contribution.

After being granted a free transfer he joined St. Johnstone on a permanent deal and played a part in the Perth side's credible three successive top-five SPL finishes. Released in 2001 he had a brief stint at Brechin City before joining Clyde, initially as a player, taking over managerial duties after the sacking of Allan Maitland. Clyde would lead the Scottish First Division for much of the 03/04 season, losing out to Inverness Caley Thistle by a point.

That summer Kernaghan would depart the Broadwood Stadium, taking up a player/assistant manager role at Livingston. Another short-lived affair, he'd be fired along with boss Allan Preston after less than four months. Early 2005 brought another job offer, player/coach of Falkirk, he'd turn out for them nine times before being offered the hotseat at Dundee. His one campaign would see them win just ten times and finish a disappointing seventh. For over two years now he's been working as an academy coach at Rangers.


Andy Dibble
Andrew Gerald Dibble, a calamity goalkeeper who showed occasional glimpses of brilliance, he'd play for eighteen different clubs over a career spanning longer than two decades, never living up to his early promise or being able to budge the seal-like moustached legend Neville Southall out of the Welsh national side. He'll most commonly be remembered for an incident at the City Ground involving Gary Crosby.

150 appearances at City would be disrupted by constant injuries and patchy form. A brilliant shot-stopper on his day but always liable to make a rickett, the arrival of Tony Coton from Watford saw the Welshman's chances become limited. Several loan spells gave him games but a run after an injury to Coton early in the 94/95 season aside, he could never regain a regular place.

When Frank Clark arrived as manager Andy was released after nine years service and joined Glasgow Rangers, making his debut in a fiery Auld Firm clash that played a vital part in that season's title race, making several key saves as Rangers won 1-0. He'd make six further starts for the Ibrox club. On leaving that summer he'd drift from club to club, five in just two years, including former side Luton and Welsh giants Barry Town where, during his only game he'd receive chemical burns from the pitch markings resulting in a significant financial settlement.

Short stints at both Hartlepool and Carlisle would lead to a relatively settled couple of years at Stockport, and then three at Wrexham. His final club as a player would be Accrington Stanley, a penalties defeat at Rotherham in the Football League Trophy late in 2005 being last game as a pro. His first venture into coaching would be as part of John Coleman's backroom staff, moving to Coventry a year later, Peterborough the following March, and this month to Rotherham.


Craig Russell
Signed by Frank Clark in what was essentially a straight-swap deal involving Nicky Summerbee, Craig Russell, a left-footed, deep-lying forward is another whose time at the club would have to be deemed a complete failure. Never a real goalscorer he'd start only 26 games in just over a year before being shipped out on loan to Tranmere, Port Vale, Darlington, Oxford and finally St. Johnstone.

He'd eventually join the Scottish side on a free transfer, spending two seasons at McDiarmid Park he'd continue to be unable to hit a cow's arse with a banjo, moving back to the North-East for a year each at Carlisle United and Darlington, finishing his career at his hometown club, South Shields.

On retiring, Russell joined rugby union side Newcastle Falcons as a masseur, returning to football in a similar role with Newcastle United, then rejoining Sunderland this summer.