FORMER favourite Lee Sandford says Stoke's result is the first he looks for... after double-checking the latest FTSE index perhaps.
Now aged 45, the one-time City defender is now a big hit in the City after turning to the world's financial markets after retirement.
And he admits he's been surprised by the success of his recently-published book, Goals To Gold, in various best-seller lists.
"I didn't have a clue how it would do because I'd never written before, but I am so proud I've done it in the end.
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"I could have put in more football stories, but the publisher told me not to. Maybe I should write a second book.
"I certainly enjoyed re-living my football experiences, even the bad ones, like being so nervous playing for Portsmouth in front of 40,000 at Anfield at the age of 17."
Sandford, who later played on more than 250 occasions for Stoke between 1989 and 1996, was just as nervous making his first presentation in front of City traders.
"It was at Canary Wharf and there were about 35 of them. I was terrible, so nervous and sweating. But I went away and got trained in how to do it properly and now I really enjoy it."
His Teddington-based company, Trading College, is a burgeoning success as he and colleagues advise and lecture on the world of stocks and shares.
It's a world he first got to know when a young defender at Stoke after following Portsmouth boss Alan Ball to the Victoria Ground.
"Me and Graham Shaw started buying stocks and shares at about the age of 24 and really got into it," he recalls.
"I will always have fond memories of Stoke because that's where I grew up in my 20s, but after retiring I was bored of football and that's why I looked for something else.
"I'm back into the game now and Stoke's is the first result I look for. They were great playing days there and I still keep in touch with lads like 'Bertie' Biggins and Noel Blake.
"A lot of us met up at Paul Ware's funeral, which was very sad, but hopefully we can have a full re-union soon."
MARTIN SPINKS
