BARROW AFC's chief executive Levi Gill has paid his respects to ‘close personal friend’ Keith Nutter following his sad death last month.

The former Barrow Raiders director passed away at the age of 65 in hospital after three weeks of treatment for coronavirus.

A fan of the town’s football club too, Keith is fondly remembered by Gill during his ‘chief executive update’ this week.

Barrow’s chief executive wrote on the club’s website: “As many people will be aware, Barrow Raiders club historian Keith Nutter recently passed away.

"While much of his legacy will rightly be centred around the work that he did at Craven Park, Keith was an avid follower of Barrow AFC for much of his life and contributed to the administration of a large number of local sports at both the amateur and professional level.

“Our own Sid Blain remembers fondly the away trips that Keith made (with a hardy band who travelled on the team bus at £5 per person!) in the early days of our return to the non-league landscape in the 1970s.”

Gill was hired as the club’s new chief executive last August, after serving as the Bluebirds Trust’s representative on the club’s board.

Since taking up the role, Gill revealed he would turn to Keith for advice.

He said: “Keith was a close personal friend of mine and has been an invaluable advisor in my short time in this role.

"The insights he shared from his time as a Director of Barrow Raiders and his tireless desire to advance the cause of all Barrow sports teams have been crucial to some of the work that we’ve been able to do at Barrow AFC since August and his loss will be felt not just at Craven Park but also here at The Progression Solicitors Stadium.”