Former England and Stoke City goalkeeper Gordon Banks has died aged 81 after a long cancer related illness.
Part of Stoke’s 1972 League Cup winners team, he continued to appear at Stoke matches and although I was too young to see him play, I have seen him many times at Stoke games. A true club legend along with Sir Stanley Matthews.
A statement issued by Stoke City FC on behalf of the family reads: “It is with great sadness that we announce that Gordon passed away peacefully overnight. We are devastated to lose him but we have so many happy memories and could not have been more proud of him. We would ask that the privacy of the family is respected at this time.”