Liverpool fan Kevin Ellison played against Sir Alex Ferguson’s team at Old Trafford, under manager Ian Rush at Chester City and against Paul Gascoigne when the former England ace was in Boston United’s team.
But some of the favourite moments in a playing career spanning more than two decades and 13 clubs have come against Newport County.
He has now scored six goals against Newport and won three penalties against the Welsh club.
This time substitute Ellison, aged 39, popped up with a late equaliser against manager Michael Flynn’s County at Rodney Parade.
It was probably one of his easiest as well. A terrible mix up in defence left him free with the ball at his left foot in the home box and he hammered it gleefully past Joe Day.
Then he wholeheartedly took on the role of pantomime villain. The County fans had shown their dislike for his scoring record against them by giving him the bird when he came on in the 70th minute.
It took him only seven minutes to get his own back – and he loved it! He wheeled away to the Hazell Stand, cupped his hand to his ear and asked for some more noise from the home faithful.
“I told Kevin he wasn’t going to start, but assured him he would still have a part to play in the game. And I asked him to keep up his record of always scoring against Newport,” said Morecambe manager Jim Bentley.
“What a fantastic player to bring off the bench. The home fans were booing him as he came onto the field, but he loves it.
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“For him to score the equaliser and then tail off to the home fans was great. That’s what he’s all about.”
His goal secured Morecambe a League Two point and left Flynn’s players deeply frustrated.
“Two points dropped, let’s not dress it up,” said the manager. “We should have been out of sight, but then a little bit of sloppiness allows Kev to get his annual goal against us.
“It’s frustrating because we missed too many chances. We should have buried them and there’s only one team who should have won that.
“Morecambe are a strong group, they are resilient and made the most of an error.
“We played quite well without finishing our chances or killing them off. A great start but it means nothing when you concede a goal like we did.
“Another point on the board, while Exeter and Lincoln lost. MK Dons drew. That means it’s a point gained.”
LIverpool fan Ellison is a character known for his banter with opposing players, while he has netted more than 150 league goals during a career which featured Welsh club Conwy United during his early days.
He rates his lone Premier League appearance, as a Leicester substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2001, as his best moment on a football pitch, playing against the likes of Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Teddy Sheringham.
Wales international Rush was Ellison’s sporting hero growing up and he says: “Rushie was my idol and I had a shirt with his name on the back.
“Then he turned up to be my gaffer for six months at Chester. I wanted to play and show how good I was even though I looked up to him. I was doing my utmost to impress him just for him to say ‘Well done’.
“I was 24, but still like a big kid.”
Ellison’s moment with Gascoigne came when he played against the midfield ace when he was with Boston United.
“He was part of me growing up and the Italia ’90 World Cup,” says Ellison. “When he went to Lazio, I used to watch the Gazzetta football programme on Sundays because Gazza went across there.”
Ellison comes across as a jovial, fun character, but he was far from popular at Rodney Parade when he netted that equaliser to deny Newport victory.
County were forced into changes when Scot Bennett limped off after 20 minutes having aggravated a hamstring and Mark O’Brien went off at half-time. He, too, was complaining of tight hamstrings.
Newport had gone ahead after only 19 seconds when former Morecambe striker Padraig Amond headed home, his sixth goal of the season, after good work by Antoine Semenyo, Robbie Willmott and Jamille Matt.
Goalkeeper Barry Roche saved well from Matt, but the ball flew loose and Amond headed in.
Flynn two changes to the starting line-up. Semenyo and fit-again Matty Dolan took over from Charlie Cooper and Tyler Forbes.
Newport’s medical staff will now spend the next week working to ensure Flynn has the maximum number of players available for their League Two clash with Carlisle away on Saturday.
Newport County AFC (3-4-1-2): Day, Butler, Bennett (Forbes 22), Demetriou (capt), O’Brien (Pring 46), Pipe, Dolan, Willmott, Semenyo, Amond, Matt (Semenyo 79). Subs not used: Townsend, Cooper, For Sheehan, Marsh-Brown
Morecambe (4-2-3-1): Roche, Mills, Yarney, Lavelle, Conlan, Wildig, Cranston (Ellison 70), Mandeville (Kenyon 80), Leitch-Smith, Oates (Oswell 70), Oliver. Subs not used: Halstead, Piggott, Hedley, Cuvelier
Referee: Ollie Yates
Attendance: 3,206 (54 away)
Next up for County: Carlisle United (3rd November 2018) AWAY
League Two – top five
| P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Lincoln | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | +16 | 33 |
| 2 | MK Dons | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | +10 | 31 |
| 3 | Exeter | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | +11 | 29 |
| 4 | Newport Co | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | -3 | 29 |
| 5 | Colchester | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | +14 | 28 |