It's seventeen years since Dean Windass rattled in That Goal against Bristol City at Wembley to give Hull City promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history.
In the almost two decades since Windass' iconic, mesmeric volley which changed the course of City's history forever, the Hull-born powerhouse has come face to face with his struggles.
Against a backdrop of alcoholism, Windass has gone through the wringer, but he's still here to tell the tale. And telling the tale is how we come together. Given where he's come from, working at Birds Eye and in a rice factory, grafting in all weathers on various building sites, sitting in a back office at Waterstones in the old Hull Daily Mail buildings on Jameson Street is probably quite salubrious by comparison.
Windass arrives on a day when he launches his latest book. Written over the course of the past few years, and started BC - before Covid - he openly admits there are parts of it he can't remember. 'I've got dementia,' he says, when certain elements are put before him.
"My first book was stressful, I can't do another one," he tells Hull Live. "It might help someone. It's more of my personal life. I gave my mate one last night, and he said he's read three or four chapters, and he went, it's deep, it's honest. I had to go to the toilet cos I was gonna start crying. He said it's unbelievable. So that's why I went: 'Right, if it can help somebody, then great.'
"I didn't realise at the time when I was 12, when they (his parents) got divorced. When I went to rehab, that's where it stemmed from. I didn't realise, so my depression came through, but football was my release.
"Signing for Hull City with Terry (Dolan). I was a character in there, but I was a mess out there. I didn't know it at the time. I didn't have a clue. I thought, well, why am I crying? Why am I down? And then all of a sudden, it affected me massively. What upset me more than anything else was that I said that I wouldn't do what my dad did to me, and I did.
"My dad left my mum, my brother, and me when I was 12, and my brother was 18. When I got divorced, my Josh was 18 and Jordan was 12. It was exactly the same. And looking back now, I regret it. Not regret, you can't have any regrets, but you fall out of love with somebody or you don't fancy anybody, but I let my kids down because I always said that I'll never ever put myself through what (happened with his parents) and I did with my kids, so that upset me more than anything else really. I'm a mirror of my dad, and I wasn't proud of it, but you get on with it."
Of course, his recent diagnosis has become a key focal point for Windass, as he admits his partner Kerry is responsible for his diary and making sure he doesn't forget a plethora of commitments, one of which sees him come out to meet supporters keen to get his new release signed by the man himself, coupled with a picture.
Windass is keen to speak about his challenges, but there are tears when he confronts his demons. The way he feels he's let his children down, the difficult relationship with his father and how he came close to taking his own life, so low did he feel at points in his life. The void left by football can be a difficult one to fill, especially for somebody who only ever wanted to be a professional and then wrestled with what to do next.
The impact of mental health is something Windass is acutely aware of. The 56-year-old posts regular videos on social media, not only to help himself, but in the hope of improving the lives of others. Even if it's just one, he feels he's done his job.
"I'm counselling somebody else, but they're counselling me," he says. "I don't know what people do. I don't tell people what to do, but it's just that it was subconscious something that I did that helped me, and then all of a sudden, when it went viral, I thought, oh God, I might be helping somebody here."
Given it's play-off final weekend, it's only fitting for Windass to once again reflect on that cherished Wembley moment. One that will be etched into Hull City AFC folklore forever.
After being released by Brian Horton, looking up at the Boothferry Park lights and dreaming of playing for his hometown club, scoring the goal to send them into the Premier League, it's a classic Roy of the Rovers ending.
"I said to Phil (Brown), I know I'm gonna score. And he (Brown) went, dye your hair blonde, I went, why? When Phil was at Bolton with Big Sam (Allardyce), I played against Bolton when I dyed my hair white when I played for Middlesbrough. He went 'You remind of Gazza'. I said to him, am I playing and he said, yes, you're playing. Give me 65 minutes, and then Caleb Folan came on. I went, 'I'll score' and he said, 'I don't doubt it' and that's what happened."
You can listen to the full interview in the latest episode of the 1904 Club podcast which is available right here.
Deano: Beyond the Final Whistle is out now, published by Pitch Publishing, and can be purchased at pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/deano or at all good book shops including Waterstones in Hull city centre where this interview was conducted.