In the early 1990s, Dion Dublin had seen his dream move to Manchester United shattered by a broken leg that he suffered during a match at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace.
Although he had recovered by 1994, the presence of Eric Cantona and Mark Hughes in the United squad meant that his chances would be limited.
So he moved to Coventry City - a side that were often battling for Premier League survival at the wrong end of the table.
However, during the 1997-98 campaign, Dublin, accompanied by young strike partner Darren Huckerby, helped to fire the Sky Blues into contention for a spot in the following season's UEFA Cup.
They would ultimately miss out, but Dublin's 18 goals made him the joint-top scorer in the division along with Liverpool's Michael Owen and Blackburn Rovers frontman Chris Sutton.
Such figures were not enough to convince Glenn Hoddle to take him to the 1998 World Cup with England in France, much to many people's surprise. His form continued the following term, though, which prompted both Blackburn and Leeds United to express an interest in his services.
It was Aston Villa who eventually convinced Dublin to leave Highfield Road 15 years ago today, largely because it was reported that he was eager to remain in the Midlands.
Almost immediately, the centre-forward started to repay the £5.75m that was invested in his signature. He scored twice on his debut in a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur, which was followed by hat-trick next time out against Southampton.
After another brace against Liverpool, his goals total was seven from his first three outings in a claret shirt.
He would eventually spend six years at Villa Park, scoring a total of 48 goals in 150 Premier League appearances. The striker also played in the 2000 FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea, despite having suffered a career-threatening broken neck only a few months before.
Liam Apicella
