A FORMER football captain has been remembered following his death.

A ‘well liked man and ‘what a player’ is how the former Vickers Sports Club football captain and shipyard fitter Ronnie Stevens has been described after his death aged 79.

Hawcoat Park stalwart for many a decade Len Ferguson was in high praise of his former skipper.

He said: “What a player – he was so cool and it all looked so easy for him.

“He was as fit as a fiddle and we played in a close knit team. I really liked him. No-one disliked Ron.”

He added: “Ronnie was a man who never held back and broke his leg at Hawcoat Park in a game against English Electric (Preston) in the West Lancs League.

"It wasn’t an opponent that did the damage but Ron himself – he went flying into a tackle and came off worse. But he came back strong to continue his career in a team of talented players.

“He was comparable to former England’s 1966 World Cup winners' captain Bobby Moore in his style of play and like him with his dress code – he was immaculate.”

In that game with English Electric, Ron's younger brother Barry was making his debut. Barry said: “It was good to make my debut with Ron but it was quite a shock when he went down and broke his leg. I was playing with some good players – Ron, Lenny Ferguson, Harry Jackson etc. Myself, Ron and others won the Glaxo 7s competition.”

Former teammate John Knagg said: “Ron was a really nice bloke and on the pitch he was hard as nails, not dirty but went hard into the tackle. He was a great clubman and leader he set examples to others. It came as such a shock to hear of his passing – he was a nice guy.”

Ron played for Vickers for several years and coached the club's youngsters, one to stand out and go all the way to play for England was his son Gary, who signed for Everton and later played for Rangers.

The former player also worked as a porter at Furness General Hospital upon retirement.