The midfielder was a homegrown talent, starting out locally with Leicester Beavers before signing pro terms with City in October 1977. He was given a debut to remember, pulling on the City shirt as a 17-year-old against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

But Hamilton wasn't used again until Leicester's relegation was confirmed in 1978 and new boss Ian MacFarlane, in caretaker charge, threw in some younger players to gain valuable first-team experience in the final three, meaningless games of the season. They were to be his last, with Jock Wallace not giving him the chance to prove himself again in City's first team.

He allowed him to move on to Mansfield Town to further his career and get more match action and he got just that, despite suffering relegation with the Stags in 1980. A move to Rochdale followed and he got similar regular time on the pitch there, enjoying regular outings at Division Four level.

He looked to have won a chance back in Division Two with Wolves in 1984 but his footballing career was cruelly cut short when he suffered a heart attack in pre-season. He retired from the game on medical advice having never played competitively for Wanderers.

His medical problems didn't spell the end of his involvement with football, however, gaining qualification as an FA coach and taking on a youth role back at City before moving on to work with clubs including Chesterfield and Notts County.