Tommy Widdrington, former midfielder and manager of Eastbourne Borough, recently reflected on the three standout players he had the opportunity to play alongside during his football career. Having progressed through Southampton's youth system and spent six years at The Dell, Widdrington’s experiences span multiple clubs, including Grimsby Town, Port Vale, Hartlepool United, and Macclesfield. Now 55, he offered insights into the qualities that set apart Matt Le Tissier, Clive Mendonca, and Kingsley Black.

Widdrington highlighted Matt Le Tissier, a former Southampton teammate, as the best footballer he has ever witnessed in person. Despite Le Tissier’s Premier League status—something Widdrington typically avoids focusing on—he made an exception citing their shared time together in the old First Division. He praised Le Tissier’s exceptional technical skill, vision, touch, passing, and precision in striking the ball. Widdrington recalled Le Tissier’s proficiency from free-kicks, describing them as almost automatic goals. He also sought to challenge prevailing perceptions, rejecting notions that Le Tissier was lazy or overweight and emphasizing the respect he held for him as a person. According to Widdrington, Le Tissier was overlooked by successive England managers, not due to a lack of talent, but because of a hesitancy to build a national team around such a unique player.

Turning to his time at Grimsby, Widdrington singled out Clive Mendonca as one of the best natural goal scorers he had encountered, noting that while he was familiar with Alan Shearer at Southampton, the two had little overlap. Mendonca, Widdrington said, appeared disengaged during training but consistently delivered in matches. He praised Mendonca’s hold-up play, movement, and innate ability to find scoring opportunities others missed. Widdrington credited Mendonca with opening his eyes to the high standards outside the top flight and noted that injuries suffered in his youth held Mendonca back from a longer Premier League career. Widdrington also described the contrasting cultural environment of the time, mentioning prevalent partying, drinking, and a different attitude toward diet and training compared to today’s professional standards.

Lastly, Widdrington spoke about Kingsley Black, who he joined at Grimsby in 1996 following Black’s transfer from Nottingham Forest, where he had played under Brian Clough alongside notable players like Teddy Sheringham, Roy Keane, and Des Walker. Widdrington described Black as an exceptionally gifted left-footed winger and a throwback to an older style of play where wingers focused on delivering precise crosses from wide areas. He noted Black’s remarkable consistency in delivering balls with the right pace and accuracy, which distinguished him from players at that level.

Widdrington’s reflections underscore the varied attributes and contributions of these players, offering a perspective shaped by firsthand experience across different tiers of English football.