SADDLERS' Chief Executive, Roy Whalley, today lead tributes to Walsall legend, Tony Richards, who passed away last Thursday.
The club were informed of Tony's passing on Saturday morning and held a minute's silence before the League One encounter with Millwall. Players and staff also donned black armbands.
Tony was one of the greatest goalscorers ever to play for Walsall and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.
"I had the privilege of watching Tony play and he was a natural goalscorer," explained Whalley. "He was a hero of mine, as he was to all Walsall supporters of that generation and beyond.
"He played in an era when centre forwards had to be tough to survive and Tony could more than handle himself.
"His goals helped the club win the fourth division title in 1959/60 and gain promotion to Division Two a year later. I remember him scoring a hat-trick up at Sunderland on the opening day of that 1961/62 campaign. I even remember he once went in goal and saved a penalty in an FA Cup tie…after he scored a goal whilst playing up front earlier on in the match!
"He was a great goalscorer but, more importantly, he was a great man. He was a great ambassador for this football club and will be sorely missed."
"Tony played for Walsall just before I started watching them but he was always being spoken about in my house growing up," added Director, Nigel Bond. "My mom Betty, who is the reason I support Walsall, was a big fan of Tony's. The word legend is banded around far too frequently in football nowadays but, in Tony's case, that's exactly what he was; a Walsall legend."
"I have heard a lot of people talk about Tony Richards," added Saddlers' boss, Chris Hutchings. "I never saw him play but, by all accounts, he was one of Walsall's greatest. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Tony's friends and family."
The club will be well represented at Tony's funeral, which will take place at St. Martin's Church, Sutton Road at 1.30pm Friday, 19th March 2010.
