Gordon Carter was a loyal supporter of Little Oakley FC for 70 years.
Image source, Little Oakley FC
Tributes have been paid to an 88-year-old football fan who has died a month after a stand was named in his honour.
Gordon Carter had been a loyal supporter of Little Oakley FC, which plays in the Essex Senior Football League, for 70 years.
Club chairman Michael Good said he was so pleased the club was able to name the Gordon Carter Stand “in his honour before his passing”.
“He’ll be missed by everyone involved in the football club”, he said.
— Little Oakley FC (@LittleOakleyFC)
On the day of the naming ceremony in April, Mr Carter said it was “really was an honour” and the “best day of my life”.
The stand can be seen from his house and he joked that if he ever forgot his name, he only had to “look out of his kitchen window”.
Mr Good said: “We’re very saddened to hear of his passing, he was a supporter of the football club of 70 years in various roles.
“We spoke to his family and we are very pleased we managed to complete the stand and name it in his honour before his passing.
“He was a character, full of life and a big family man, he’ll be missed by everyone whose is involved in the football club.”
The club said on Twitter that it was “deeply saddened to announce this morning the passing of our longest serving supporter Gordon Carter”.
It said he was a “true local legend with such a warming character”.
Mr Carter celebrated his 88th birthday on 23 April.
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