AN EXCEPTIONALLY quick and strong wide-man, he became a cult figure amongst The Saddlers' faithful.

Arriving as an apprentice in 1977, he turned professional two years later and went on to serve the club in various positions, including full-back, right up until 1990.

Among his best performances in a Walsall shirt was the one at Anfield in the 1983/84 Milk Cup semi-final when he caused all sorts of problems for the Liverpool back-line.

He made a total of 274 appearances for the club and was granted a richly-deserved Testimonial. He also had a brief loan spell at Rochdale in October 1986 during his time at Fellows Park.

After leaving the club he had spells with Shamrock Rovers in Ireland, Aldershot Town, Dover Athletic and Solihull Borough.

He still attends functions and matches here at the Banks's Stadium and is a valued member of the Walsall Veterans team.

An interesting piece of trivia is that Mark Rees holds the club record for coming on as substitute most times.