The club had an excellent youth policy, which saw talent such as Andy Payton and Leigh Jenkinson develop, though Nick Barmby was such a prodigious talent that he was signed to Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 16. Horton also brought in defender Richard Jobson from Watford for £40,000 and Garry Parker from former club Luton for £72,000. He attempted to sign Mark Bright from Leicester City for £45,000, but the chairman could not agree terms with the player. The 1985–86 season saw Hull come very close to earning promotion to the First Division, finishing in sixth-place, which was then the third-highest finish in the club's history. At the end of the campaign Horton quit playing to concentrate on full-time management, having been sent off against Crystal Palace in his final appearance. Despite the introduction of the play-off system in 1986–87, the "Tigers" ended the campaign in 14th-place.