Jewell left only days after the season ended, McCall was appointed assistant manager to Chris Hutchings, and subsequently served as caretaker manager for two games when Hutchings was sacked after just 12 games of the 2000–01 league season. City were relegated with just 26 points. During a 6–1 defeat to West Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in the penultimate game, McCall and team-mate Andy Myers fought on the pitch. McCall stayed on for one more season before he was released by manager Nicky Law in May 2002, shortly before the club went into administration for the first time after finishing 15th in Division One. His playing career at Bradford City had looked uncertain in December 2001 before Law arrived, when previous manager Jim Jefferies had left McCall out of the side in a 3–1 defeat at Manchester City following a training ground dispute. However, it was Jefferies who lost out in the dispute when he resigned his post a week later after summit talks with chairman Geoffrey Richmond. In April 2002, McCall's testimonial match against Rangers attracted a crowd of more than 21,000 to Valley Parade. McCall gave part of the proceeds from his testimonial to the Bradford burns research unit, which was set up following the 1985 fire. Two years after his benefit match, McCall played one more time in City colours in a Save Our City appeal match organised by Bradford's evening newspaper, the Telegraph & Argus, to raise funds for the club, who were now in administration for a second time. Sheffield United On 2 July 2002. McCall joined Sheffield United, where he played an integral part in their first-team side, despite being 38, and also coached the reserves to the league title. He played 71 league games over the next two seasons, and scored twice, including a winner against former side Bradford. He was in the side that reached the Division One play-off final in 2003 as well as the semi-finals of both cup competitions that year. However he and Dean Windass, who was also now at Sheffield United, were both left out of the play-off final, as United lost 3–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. McCall played just two League Cup games in the 2004–05 season, and retired just a few weeks before his 41st birthday. His career total of 763 league games placed him in 13th position on the all-time appearance list of British footballers. International career