Eddie Gray pays beautiful tribute to Peter Lorimer and recalls first memory of future Leeds United room mate

News that Lorimer had passed away after battling a long term illness broke on Saturday morning.

Lorimer was United's all time record goal scorer and more than just a team mate to fellow former Whites legend Gray.

Speaking live to BBC One's Football Focus on Saturday lunch-time, Gray said: "Peter was a truly great player but he was also a great man.

"First of all I would just like to say condolences to his family, his wife Susan, his boys Simon and Jamie and everybody that knew Peter.

"I first saw Peter playing at Ibrox in 1962 for the Scottish Schoolboys against England.

"I was a year younger than Peter and I couldn't believe how good he was.

"I thought to myself that night at Ibrox 'if I want to be a player I've got to step up to the mark because he was truly sensational.

"In the same year, 1962 he made his debut for Leeds United - 15 years of age, playing alongside the great John Charles.

"A long span of time later, 1982 - when I was manager of Leeds - I brought him back to the club to play with players like Dennis Irwin, John Sheridan, Terry Phelan, Scot Sellars who were young lads and they all looked up to Peter

"As well as being a great player and a great goalscorer, he was a great lad.

"He was my room mate for 12 years, travelling all over Europe together and up and down the country and you talk now about teams being in the market for a 50-60 million pound player.

"It would have needed a bit more money than that to get a player like Peter."

Asked what made Lorimer so special as a player by Dion Dublin and the type of footballer that he was, Gray said: "Peter was a great striker of the ball.

"People used to call him Hot Shot Lorimer but Peter was also a great crosser of the ball.

"Her was actually an inside forward when he started Peter and I was a wing half and Don asked Peter to play right wing and asked me to play left wing which we did.

"Peter could do anything - he could go by people, he was a great crosser of the ball, people think of him as just having this tremendous shot which we did have.

"He was just a great goalscorer and a great footballer with a great knowledge of the game.

"He worked hard as well and was a fit lad.

"You look at the length of his career, he played for a long long time and he will be sorely missed and by all the Leeds United fans.

"In later years he was an ambassador for the football club and he got on well with everybody.

"He had a pub and every Saturday on a home game it was full with people from Scandinavia.

"He was president of the Leeds United Scandinavian Football Supporters Club and they used to drink in the pub.

"After the game, Peter had to actually throw them out but he would join in with them and sing the Leeds United songs with them.

"He was a great lad Peter and it's a sad day for me and all the old team mates that are still around.

"We have had a terrible year losing people at the football club and he used to still go to games.

"Even though Peter wasn't well, I used to over before this lockdown and I used to go over every weekend and see him at games and we used to have a chat and reminisce a bit about the players we played with and the good times.

"But still enjoying watching the football club playing just now and that's the sad thing for Leeds United just now.

"There will be a lot of fans crying this morning with the passing of Peter and they cannot go and watch their beloved club as well, the club that Peter loved so much."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/a-legend-we-all-aspire-to-be-like-leeds-united-stars-past-and-present-pay-tribute-to-whites-legend-peter-lorimer-3172788

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins