Former YEP Leeds United man on his friend Norman Hunter and the one tackle the legend regretted

The football writer travelled all over Europe with the Whites, spent long hours on the team coach and got close to the men who made the club truly famous.

He counted Hunter as a friend and the pair would journey to games together once the defender's playing days were over and he was working for Radio Leeds.

This is what he had to say about the World Cup winner, who passed away on Friday.

"I knew Norman Hunter exceptionally well.

It's very sad. It has really upset me. It did when Billy Bremner died as well.

I used to travel round with Norman when he was on Radio Leeds, we would go to the games together. We had some good laughs.

We were playing Millwall away and we had travelled to the match by car. All Leeds-Millwall games were feisty affairs and this was away, at the New Den. Of course there was a very heavy police presence and we were walking away after the match and could see all the police vans. We walked on and all of a sudden we heard this van, with its siren blaring come charging down. Norman said 'somebody's for it' and they pulled up against us and one of the policeman got out, ran to Norman and said 'can I have your autograph please?'

He was such a nice fella, so different off the field. People who just saw him play would think he was just a hard man, but he wasn't off the field.

A great player, a great person and a great friend.

I wrote a book for him and he told me that when he was growing up he was weak in build, didn't have the physique you'd expect for someone who would become such a great footballer, but he certainly did become one.

Right from his school days he wanted to be a professional footballer and his mother had some scathing words as to the futility of kicking a ball about when he was a youngster.

But it was his mum who gave him a nudge towards soccer stardom, she bought the first pair of football boots for him after patiently tramping all over Newcastle to find a pair that would fit his smaller than average feet.

He said to me he was aggressive, that was the way he was asked to play, but he never went out with the intention of injuring any player.

There was only one tackle that really upset him and that was on John Craven at Crystal Palace.

He said to me that the manager had told him and Jack Charlton their job was to win the ball and give it to someone who can play.

If you spoke to all the players who played with him and asked what sort of player he was, they would all speak very highly, not just of his competitive nature but he was a skillful player.

I was speaking to Eddie [Gray] and he was saying all the players who played with Norman loved playing with him. Not only was he enthusiastic and aggressive, he knew the game very well.

He could pass the ball accurately, he could read a game very well and long passes or short passes, they were nearly always accurate.

He was a great player.

He got on with everybody.

I never saw him turn anybody down, even coming to matches in the last two seasons, people would seek him out asking for pictures, asking for autographs.

He even signed something for me - I did his testimonial brochure and I realised I'd never got him to sign it so I took it and he signed it straight away.

He would come up onto the gantry, every time, and either sat with me or if it was full sat further down, but he always tapped me on the shoulder to shake my hand.

He was a very friendly person and a good person to be with, no doubt about it.

It will be a big loss."