People say you should go out at the top but I was enjoying my football so much. Robbie Fowler's exactly the same: he's not playing for money any more, he's playing for enjoyment. Why go out at the top if it's going to make you miserable? I just wanted to play as long as I could.

But after the half-time team-talk by the now player/manager Kenny Dalglish Liverpool looked a different side in the second half. Manager Bob Paisley paid a record fee for a teenager of £300000. It remained Chester's record sale until they went bankrupt in March 2010.

He is also the all-time leading goalscorer for Liverpool having scored a total of 346 goals in all competitions for them during his two spells there. Since retiring as a player in 2000 Rush has had a stint as manager of Chester City (2004–05) and has worked as a television football pundit.