November 16, 2020 5.15 pm This story is over 39 months old

Call for statue after death of Skegness-born legendary goalkeeper

The 72-year-old lost his battle with cancer

The former mayor of Skegness believes a memorial would be apt to honour Lincolnshire-born football legend Ray Clemence after his death.

The 72-year-old, who was born in Skegness, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2005 and in a statement his family said he passed away peacefully on Sunday.

Tributes continue to pour in for the popular former footballer, who was capped 61 times by England and used to stack deckchairs on Skegness beach before later becoming a sporting great.

Former Mayor of Skegness Sue Birch, who went to school with Clemence, told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: “We could do with something, either a plaque or statue or something.

“Although he left Skegness, he used to come back at every opportunity he’d got, which I thought was nice.”

Clemence made his senior football debut for Scunthorpe United in 1966, making 48 appearances for the club.

Clemence won five league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool, who he made 470 appearances for between 1967 and 1981 before joining Tottenham Hotspur where he also clocked up hundreds of matches.

The family released a statement saying: “With great sadness, we write to let you know that Ray Clemence passed away peacefully today (Sunday), surrounded by his loving family.

“After fighting so hard, for such a long time, he’s now at peace and in no more pain.

“The family would like to say a huge thank you, for all the love and support that he’s received over the years. He was loved so much by us all and he will never be forgotten.”

A plethora of tributes continue to pour in for the much-loved goalkeeper, who was awarded an MBE in 1987.

Fellow goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton wrote on Twitter: “I’m absolutely devastated to be told of the sad news that Ray Clemence has just passed away. We were rivals but good friends.

“Ray was a brilliant goalkeeper with a terrific sense of humour. I will miss him a great deal as we’ve kept friends long after retiring. RIP my friend.”