Starting his career with Coventry City, English made the switch to bitter rivals Leicester in September 1982, spending two years with the Foxes.
His career started well with the Sky Blues, and he actually netted a hat-trick for them against Leicester, something which will have no doubt caught the attention. He was also an England youth international but his City career was blighted by domestic issues and he never really made the same impact with the Foxes.
He made 29 starts and 15 appearances from the bench in the league but only managed three league goals. He was involved in City's 1983 promotion charge but was used more in a midfield role. After being released from his Filbert Street contract it took him a year to find a new club - perhaps a sign of his problems. He played alongside his younger brother Tony at Colchester and then at Crewe where they both got sent off in the same game.