Something of a precursor to hard men in the Kevin Ball / Lee Cattermole mould (although a fullback rather than a central midfielder), Kay was a player straight from the school of hard knocks. A particularly evil challenge on Newcastle-born Peter Haddock prompted the latter's manager to claim that his leg looked like it had been run over by a tractor. Kay could take punishment as well as dish it out. After breaking his leg in what was to be his final appearance for the Black Cats, the Durham boy sat up on his stretcher and pretended to row it off the Roker Park pitch.
