'I played against Everton's best side - look at the state of me'

Ken McKenna during his time as Morecambe assistant manager in 2015 (Image: Pete Norton/Getty Images)

Never mind 'across the water' - it feels like there’s something in the water when it comes to producing goalscorers in Birkenhead , the town that looks over the Mersey to Liverpool city centre .

The 383 goals that William Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean netted for Everton is the most anyone has ever struck for a single professional English club and his 60 goals in the 1927/28 season is a record that will surely never be broken. His closest challenger in that respect is Tom ‘Pongo’ Waring, a fellow son of Birkenhead who, having replaced Dean as centre-forward in the Tranmere Rovers side, bagged 49 First Division goals for Aston Villa in 1930/31.

Then there’s Robert ‘Bunny’ Bell, another Birk