The former Scotland international rose through the ranks with Wimbledon during the club’s Crazy Gang era.

After spending 12 years at Wimbledon in that Crazy Gang period, Neil Sullivan had already seen plenty in his career by the time he joined Tottenham in 2000.

Even so, nothing had prepared him for how vastly different the two London clubs would feel when he crossed to the north of the River Thames.

At Wimbledon, Sullivan trained on Wimbledon Common and was part of the club’s famously grounded culture, which was a world away from the comparative comfort and polish he encountered at Spurs.

“My contract was up at Wimbledon and my agent got me a move to Spurs through his connections,” Sullivan told FourFourTwo while looking back on the transfer.

“It was just a different world. I was used to training on Wimbledon Common, clearing up all the dog s**t before we could start. Suddenly, I’m walking into Spurs Lodge, which was completely different.

“I remember my first home game. I arrived at White Hart Lane and someone stopped me in my car, opened my door and offered to park my car. I thought it was a wind up. It would have been at Wimbledon!”

Towards the latter part of Sullivan’s spell at Wimbledon, discussions began that eventually led to the club’s relocation to Milton Keynes, a process that sparked major unrest among supporters.

“Initially, we were going to Dublin,” Sullivan recalled. “We had new owners and Wimbledon weren't a massive club, and didn't have a lot of money. The Premier League was changing, so things had to change and modernise.

“But to move out of Wimbledon just didn't seem right. It just didn't seem right to take Wimbledon away from Wimbledon. People behind the scenes ultimately thought the MK Dons move would be more productive, earn more money.

“After that was decided, we got relegated, so they didn't get Premier League football in Milton Keynes and I think that was a big pull for doing it. The whole thing was just shocking.”

At Spurs, Sullivan was part of the team that reached the 2002 League Cup Final, only to suffer a surprise defeat against Blackburn Rovers, a match that still clearly frustrates the former Scotland goalkeeper.

“Yeah, it was disappointing,” he said. “Don't forget, we just had a new manager come in. George Graham had got us to the final but then Glenn Hoddle took over. Daniel Levy had just taken over the club, so there were a lot of changes going on at the time.

“We’d go on to finish in the bottom half of the table so, while we had a talented side, it wasn’t a strong period. We were favourites for that game but, remember, Blackburn had won the Premier League within the last decade. They had a very good side.”