PAUL Hall and Fitzroy Simpson have a few things in common. And perhaps the most striking of them is the fact that they have both played for Portsmouth Football Club of England and the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica at the World Cup.

They formed a trio of England-born professional players with Jamaican ancestry drafted into the national team set-up for the final stage of World Cup qualifiers for France 1998.

The other player is striker Deon Burton, who got into the team by sheer chance. Simpson, a midfielder, and Hall, a forward, were invited down to Jamaica for trials in 1997, and a 20-year-old Burton decided to accompany his friends on what he thought was a holiday opportunity. The rest, as they say, is history.

Simpson, for his part, made 36 appearances for Jamaica with two goals to his name, while Hall had 41 for 15 goals.

Of the two, Simpson, who is now an agent and at the mellowing age 43, had arguably the more prestigious career of the two, having played in the Premier League for Manchester City, Scottish Premier League for Hearts and the Irish IFA Premiership for Linfield.

He also played in the Football League for Swindon Town, Bristol City, Portsmouth, and Walsall before ending his career in Non-league football with Telford United, Havant & Waterlooville and Eastleigh.

Hall, now 40, roller-coaster career ride after his France 1998 exploits with the Reggae Boyz, as after some impressive performances at the World Cup, moved to Coventry City for a fee of £300,000.

Within four months at Coventry he had been told by manager Gordon Strachan that he did not fit into his plans, but Hall chose to stay and fight for a place, turning down a move to Port Vale in late November 1998.

On 18 February 1999, he joined Bury on loan, but again returned to Highfield Road to fight for a first- team place. The following season chances were even sparser, with loan moves to Sheffield United on December 17, 1999 and to West Bromwich Albion on loan in February 2000, neither of which resulted in permanent deals.

Hall began his career as an apprentice at Torquay United. But it was at Portsmouth that he was most comfortable and productive and was to spend five glorious seasons with the Fratton Park outfit, which eventually led to his call-up to the Jamaica outfit.

Hall is now a football coach and was in July 2010, named youth team coach at Mansfield Town, but left the club just two months later when financial trouble forced the club to shut down their youth team.

He subsequently joined Spalding United as a player, and made his debut for the Tulips in October 2010 in a 3-0 defeat. Hall returned to Mansfield a month later when he was hired as Duncan Russell’s assistant manager.

But finding it difficult to hang up his boots, in March 2011, he was registered as a player to help ease the injury crisis at Mansfield Town, after the club could only name three healthy substitutes in the match against Crawley Town the day before.

Other England-born players who made Jamaica’s team to the France World Cup were Robbie Earle, Frank Sinclair, Daryl Powell, and Marcus Gayle.

Today, as Jamaica engage host Costa Rica in a Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifier, the Boyz will have in their squad seven England-born and bred professionals, continuing the trend started by the Brazilian Rene Simoes and which is a common practice nowadays.

They are Jobi McAnuff, Garath McCleary, Adrian Mariappa, Jermaine Beckford, Lloyd Doyley, Theo Robinson, and Marvin Elliott.

Like Hall, Simpson and Burton, Simoes too have earned his place in the precious hearts and minds of the Jamaica people for what they have done for the nation’s football.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Simoes was the inspirational coach who won over a reluctant corporate Jamaica and government that the World Cup dream could be a reality.