You'll get no babble from Psycho

Longevity is an underrated virtue. Often confused with time-serving, people working their ticket. Age has withered its reputation. Longevity has a stoop.

But on the steep banks of the River Wear on Saturday, longevity had a different demeanour and appearance altogether. Muscular, upright, committed, aggressive and fit as a boxer, longevity was personified by Stuart Pearce in Sunderland. He will be 39 in two months.

Eighteen years on from his debut for Coventry City, whom he joined from Wealdstone, where he worked as a bricklayer, Pearce almost mocked the frenzy surrounding the younger generation at West Ham United with a performance that was in Harry Redknapp's estimation the definition of professional. Not promising, not tempting, just professional. Redknapp was right.

Pearce was named man of the match by the television organisation that forced the game to kick off at noon. Had the vote gone to the crowd, Pearce, despite his recent Newcastle United attachment, would have been a unanimous choice. Not often at the Stadium of Light do they see Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips outjumped and frustrated with such gusto. But they did on Saturday.

The evening highlights may have shown Pearce's athletic second-half clearance from Quinn from under his crossbar, and his perfectly timed tackle on John Oster soon after that. But what Redknapp, Peter Reid and Quinn himself appreciated equally was the manner in which Pearce played throughout. Getting to the ball first is football's golden rule and Pearce did that more than anybody. At 38, the sheer desire within Pearce remains fierce. He has a young heart beneath his old shoulders.

Even among those put off Pearce by his British bulldog personality - his autobiography's title followed his nickname: Psycho - it was easy to understand Redknapp's post-match description of Pearce as "special". Redknapp used the word twice.

"He's fit as a fiddle," Redknapp said. "He'll be in on Monday. He'll be in a five-a-side, or nine-aside. And he'll want to win. He always wants to win. He kicks them up in the air in training. It's that will to win he's got that is special. Stuart Pearce is just so special.

"He was the best left back in the world in his prime. Some say Paolo Maldini, but I know which one I'd rather play against. People talk about coaching, but the game is about players. That's why I said Arsene Wenger had the easiest job in football when he came to Arsenal because he had Tony Adams in the dressing-room.

"So you don't need to be a great coach. You just say to the kids: `Watch Pearcey play.' He doesn't stand three yards off people and let them get their crosses in. He's up their arse, kicking them, tackling them, frightening them. You just tell the kids to watch him work, watch him head the ball, watch the commitment he plays with. Half the kids who come into the game now have got no appetite, they don't want to work.

"He broke his leg twice last season. Twice in one season! How do you come back from that? How do you come back at 38 years of age from two broken legs in one season?

"He trained all through the summer, came back as white as a sheet, I don't think he'd seen any sun. Hadn't had a holiday. He said: `Just give me monthly contracts.' After six weeks, I said: `You look great. Let's sign through to the end of the year.' He said: `Nah, I'll stick on the monthlies. If I do get an injury I won't be a problem to you, I'll just drift off.' That's how he is."

Reid simply said "outstanding", while Quinn said: "I'm 35 and there aren't many people who I look up to, but Stuart Pearce is one of them."

Pearce has signed a longer deal now and shows no sign of wanting to spend more time with his family. He has lost two FA Cup finals with Nottingham Forest and Newcastle and would be a popular candidate to win at the third attempt should West Ham make it to Cardiff.

Not that he revels in it all: at Old Trafford and the Stadium of Light he was first off the pitch while his colleagues cavorted in front of their fans. There is something brilliant about his refusal to want to be among celebrity squares.

In the tunnel he gave one brief interview in which he said: "I enjoy playing. The day I stop enjoying it is the day I stop. It was enjoyable to come here and win. Especially with a clean sheet - I'm a defender." Then he was off, first on the bus.

Not raging against the dying of the light. The light isn't dying. Longevity rules.