Former Wolves youngster Mark Todd relishing his scouting position with Manchester City

It also featured a short spell at Wolves, having started with an apprenticeship with Manchester United.

Todd is still, at 56, very much involved in the game, three years into an assignment he is particularly cherishing, a dual role in Academy scouting with Wolves’ next opponents and reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City.

But while the 40 years since he first crossed the Irish Sea from his native Belfast have pretty much all been involved with football, it has also included the different side of football.

The community side of football. The magical side of football. The part of football which engages and inspires young hopefuls, and gives people hope.

For just over two decades, Todd worked in the community departments of Rotherham and Sheffield United, the two clubs where he gave so much distinguished service as a player.

At the Blades he was Head of the Foundation, effectively running a business, building it up from a team of five which included former Wolverhampton-born striker Adrian Littlejohn to an operation turning over £1.5million a year and employing 60 staff.

As with Wolves Foundation, the Sheffield United Foundation delivers a hugely positive impact right at the very heart of the community, and that’s an attitude that mirrors Todd’s thoughts about the importance of the sport.

He too has gone through tough times, openly admitting to struggling with his mental health on two separate occasions in his life, when his career came to a premature end due to injury at 28, and more recently, after turning 50.

A knowledge of the importance and power of family has therefore seen Todd set up his own ‘Football Family Effect’ initiative, operating under the hashtag FFE, and using his contacts to help people - especially young people - through difficult challenges.

“As a footballer you do often live in a bubble but a lot of footballers do give back,” Todd explains.

“Every single football club supports their community programme and I know from my own experience just how important those programmes are.

“They have all really taken off in recent years and we built it up at Sheffield United, which was a challenge in terms of effectively running a business, but one from which I learned so much.

“As with all football clubs, it was about engaging with the disadvantaged, engaging with the disengaged, helping people get fitter and healthier, making everything more socially inclusive.

“You can give people great footballing experiences and access to players and facilities - our stadiums and training grounds are iconic and can make such a difference to fans when they are able to visit by giving them magical moments and magical memories.

“I think we sometimes need to champion the good side of football, the better side of what football creates, how players – who can be going through their own struggles – will help people, and the emotions that can follow.”

When it comes to his own playing career, Todd certainly ran the gamut of emotions which affect and afflict most players at one time or another.

When it comes to Wolves, it was perhaps a story of the one that got away.

Born and brought up in Belfast, Todd first kicked a ball at the age of three, and soon found Liverpool as his team after watching their win over Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup Final.

Playing junior football, at the age of 11 he was Player of the Tournament at a competition in Scotland, and, choosing football over rugby at Belfast High Grammar School, along with a love of athletics and cricket, he soon became hot property.

He impressed whilst representing Northern Ireland in the Victory Shield at Under-15 level, and, just like George Best, Sammy McIlroy and Norman Whiteside before him, was scouted by the legendary Bob Bishop as the next Northern Irish cab off the rank to head across to England, and join Manchester United.

There were other clubs interested such as Tottenham, Rangers and Leicester, and Todd went on several trials, but the lure of United, even as a Liverpool fan, was overpowering.

“It was a real privilege and honour to join Manchester United,” he explains.

“There were three years of really good learning which set me up to become a pro.

“Unfortunately, even though I felt I was good enough to become a ‘Fergie fledgling’, Sir Alex (Ferguson) said no to me in the end.

“My last ever game at United was for the reserves, against Newcastle at Old Trafford.

“We beat them 2-0, and I scored one, and Frank Stapleton got the other.

“I do think I was good enough to get in that team when he was introducing young players but was I good enough to stay there? Probably not.

“But those three years I had at United certainly didn’t do me any harm in terms of the career I ended up having afterwards.”

And before moving on, it has to be noted that Todd, and all those other United hopefuls at the time, ended up with one particular memory and experience which will forever stand the test of time.

They got the chance to play alongside Bobby Charlton. An incredible experience, as Todd explains.

“I can still remember, it was 1985, the end of our first year as trainees.