As a player, he was a striker from 1980 until 2002, notably in the Premier League with Everton where he scored the winning goal in the 1995 FA Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium. He also played in his native land for Swindon Town, Aston Villa, Southampton, Notts County and Tranmere Rovers. During his career he also spent time in Italy, Scotland, China and the United States with Bari, Rangers, Qianwei Huandao, Chongqing Huandao, Shenzhen Jianlibao and Kansas City Wizards. He was capped 6 times by England U21, scoring one goal.