Stuart was a familiar face on the football and cricket pitches of the Spen Valley – and was even on Leeds United's books in the days of Elland Road legends Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner.

He attended Roberttown Junior School and Mirfield Modern School and played for Spen Valley Schoolboys before being taken on by Leeds as an apprentice in the early 1960s.

He did not make it to the first team but he carried on undeterred and joined Brook Sports at Batley and then Liversedge FC which he continued to support over the years.

As well as being a keen footballer, he was also a talented cricketer and played for Liversedge CC as a wicket keeper.

Among those who recalled his playing days at Brook Sports was David Clough, who grew up Liversedge and Staincliffe and now lives in Gloucestershire.

He remembered as a youngster going to watch Brook Sports, at their Thorncliffe Road ground, whose players came from all over North Kirklees.

David, who is now a headteacher, still has a photograph of the Brook Sports team, which includes Stuart, and two hand-made programmes from 1967.

One of the programmes records an historic day for the club when it reached the first round proper of the FA Amateur Cup in its first year of entry for the competition.

The club was hoping for a record home gate for the game against Whitby Town, who had reached the Wembley final two years previously.

Although Stuart was not on the team sheet for that game, he was included in the next programme notes when the opposition was Wealdstone.

The programme editor wrote that the Whitby game did, in fact, exceed all expectations attracting a record crowd of more than 1,200.

And given that Wealdstone were the holders of the FA Amateur Cup, they were hoping for an even bigger gate.