Former England striker James Beattie has a new adventure in his football career, as he has signed for Accrington Stanley.
The League Two side have acquired the services of Beattie until January as a player-coach.
He will help out his good friend Leam Richardson, who recently succeeded Paul Cook as manager after the latter's departure to Chesterfield.
A long friendship
The pair's friendship goes back a long time, to when Beattie was a junior at Blackburn Rovers.
Beattie (pictured) watched Accrington lose 4-2 at home to Northampton Town on Saturday, ending a three match unbeaten run for the new boss. They currently sit 16th in the table.
Playing is still at the heart of Beattie's motives behind the move.
He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Primarily I'm here to do my stuff on the pitch, and then oversee what Leam wants to oversee.
"The primary objective is to play. That's what I've wanted to do. Unfortunately the opportunities haven't been rife out there.
"The market's very tough and there are a lot of pros out of football at this moment in time.
"It's a great opportunity for me to get back playing and to have the first footsteps on the ladder to coaching.
Best spell at Southampton
Beattie won five international caps for his country and has played for a number of clubs in his career, including Rangers, Blackpool and Everton.
His best spell came at Southampton. He signed for the Saints in 1998 as a makeweight in the disastrous Kevin Davies deal that took him to Lancashire.
Beattie scored 76 goals in 233 appearances on the south coast, finishing third in the Golden Boot race in 2002-03 and playing in the 2003 FA Cup final for Southampton, where they lost to Arsenal in Cardiff.
He hasn't had a club since leaving Sheffield United in the summer.
Although he hasn't always been the model professional, the experience that Beattie can bring to Accrington Stanley is likely to help rookie manager Richardson as they aim to maintain their Football League status.
By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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