One of the fascinations of having been in the football business for so long is to realise what it's like for youngsters starting out and also seeing what happens when players hang up their boots.

One night this week I had arranged to present prizes, along with director Lee Hoos and club captain Claus Lundekvam, to some youngsters who range from 11-13.

They had been attending the first class classroom facility at St Mary's so that they could catch up on some of the subjects which they found difficult in their day time schooling.

After attending after school over a ten-week period not only have they all caught up but in may cases they have jumped ahead - and had all found a confidence that was not necessarily there before.

Claus, Lee and I were totally impressed.

Not only with the presentation by head teacher Chris Meech, who undoubtedly leads by example and has a wonderful back-up staff, but also by the gratitude shown by the parents in full attendance.

I had intended returning home but was pleasantly surprised to be confronted with the now huge figure of former Burnley winger Steve Kindon.

It turned out that he, along with his former teammate Paul Fletcher, was speaking with our own Matt Le Tissier at a function organised by the Hampshire Sporting Club and there was a spare seat on the sponsors table.

But I also knew, if the audience didn't, how well they were about to be entertained by the two boys from the north who I have worked with separately on more than one occasion, as well at Matt who was actually making his first formal speech at St Mary's.

It was one of the biggest attendances ever at a function of this sort, nearly 500 in fact, who heard Matt start off the evening speaking as relaxed as he played his football.

This audience were more than interested because most of them had probably drooled over his superb passing and goalscoring.

What they didn't expect was the type of humour they got from Paul and Steve.

Each did a part of their normal act and then joined up together to lead everyone in a sing-song with the climax being a wonderful solo by Paul Fletcher on his banjo.

George Formby will never be dead as long as Paul is performing!

If we are to believe Steve, the strength of the Burnley team in the old days was their wonderful team spirit.

They had their own band in the dressing room, with Steve playing the drums.

Paul had been ordered to learn the banjo within two weeks of arriving at Turf Moor!

They had their own songs which they always sang on leaving the ground or approaching it again after an away trip.

It certainly brought a good end to a wonderful evening with the whole room on their feet singing.

But that is only part of the story.

Here we had three players who said themselves they had probably played well over 1,000 games but none of them had won anything.

Matt was denied many more international caps than the eight he did receive. We all know his story.

Steve Kindon has, for quite a while, been a professional full-time after-dinner speaker.

It sounds grand but the previous night he had been working in Newcastle and he was leaving St Mary's at nearly midnight to drive back to his home in Blackpool because he was working in Lancashire the next night.

In a year, he will speak at more than 100 different venues. It is a different way of life but he is probably now making much more money than he ever did as a footballer.

Steve's act is all about how he was born into a rugby family, his father having played for England at union and his uncle at league.

Steve himself was a promising rugby player until at 15 when he sat watching the World Cup final which England won in 1966.

That turned him on to football, he was spotted playing and signed as an apprentice for Burnley.

Some 18 months later he had his first game, away to West Ham, and he told of his feelings as he stepped onto the same pitch as Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. The highlight was being marked by the great Bobby Moore.

The added flavour to Steve's stories is the fact that he has a slight speech impediment which he describes as being unable to pronounce the letter s' properly.

He plays on this outrageously with comments such as he got off to a bad start at the font when his parents christened him Steven and his first club, Burnley, was up the M66!

Meeting Steve again reminded me of a good quip from the late Bill McGarry.

Steve won the old pro footballers sprint race seven years in a row and Bill, his manager at the time, said to him you're as quick as a racehorse, you have the stamina of a drayhorse - but you've got the brains of a rocking horse!' I'm sure Steve will continue to make a good living because, apart from entertaining so many people I know from speaking to him he enjoys every minute of it.

And, as he runs around the audience, he sweats more than he ever did as a player.

Having said that, like most of us, he has put on a few more pounds. I just hope he can get to the stage where eventually he can hire a driver because the motorway travelling could eventually take away his enjoyment of what he is doing.

Paul Fletcher, his life-long friend, is a more studious type.

One of the stories I once heard him recount was when Harry Potts, the famous old manager of Burnley, was going through his team talk on a Friday before the team had to go Anfield at a time when Liverpool were probably the best club team in the world.

Harry's gameplan was telling everybody through the team to come back and help defend.

As this went on, Paul realised, as the centre forward, he was the last one standing up front. And, putting up his hand up, he said excuse me boss, does that mean I'm up front on my own?' Yes' said Harry you defend along their back four'.

Paul said so more or less like the lone ranger?' Yes' said Harry.

The next day, the team arrives to a full house at Anfield. In those days, on away games particularly, the bench in the dressing room would have the odd telegram of goodwill messages from friends.

Paul opened a telegram addressed to him which said Good luck today, sorry I can't be with you, all the best, Tonto!' This was obviously from his teammates. Football humour never changes.

Paul moved on from Burnley to Bolton and, after a career which got him as far as England Under-23 level, he went into the business of stadium design and is now one of Europe's leading experts.

He was involved in the Reebok at Bolton, the Millennium at Cardiff, and worked for two years when the new Wembley started but later resigned.

He was famously quoted saying This will take too long and cost too much money'.

How prophetic.

His latest accomplishment was the Ricoh Arena for Coventry City and he is now the club's managing director.

So ended a terrific evening which provided good entertainment and more cash for charity from the Hampshire Sporting Club under excellent chairman Tim Titheridge.

I wonder how many of our present Premiership players will have to travel the motorways in future to make a living?

Not too many, I think, but will they be able to give as much enjoyment to so many others?

And, at the same time, enjoy themselves as much as the lads did this week?