Beckford joined Norwich from Port Vale in June 1991 for a then club record fee of £925,000.

Then Canaries boss Dave Stringer described Beckford as "the answer to the Norwich supporters' prayers".

But injuries disrupted his first season - a thigh problem suffered during pre-season training was followed by a double hernia operation around Christmas.

Beckford – a product of the Manchester City youth system – made 49 appearances in all competitions for Norwich, scoring 13 goals… he scored eight times in 38 league matches and five in cup competitions.

However, his standout moment came in a 4-3 win over Everton, when he scored a hat-trick in a match that helped Norwich avoid relegation in 1991-92.

But Beckford struggled in the 1992-93 season. Manager Mike Walker signed Mark Robins and also had Chris Sutton in attack.

Beckford left Carrow Road in March 1993, sold to Oldham Athletic for £300,000.

He went on to play for Hearts, Preston, Fulham, Walsall, Rushden & Diamonds, Southport, Total Network Solutions, Bury and Bacup Borough before retiring.