Walsall Football Club were saddened to learn about the passing of Royston Randle last week.
Royston gave 40 years service to the Supporters Club Travel Section where he diligently organised away supporter travel to ensure Saddlers’ supporters were able to travel the length and breadth of the country to support the team.
In the 40th minute of tomorrow’s fixture with Newport County – to mark Royston’s 40 years service to the travel section – an image of Royston will appear on the matchday screen giving supporters the opportunity to pay their respect.
Walsall Director Roy Whalley has penned his own tribute to Royston, which will also feature in tomorrow’s matchday programme.
‘It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Royston Randle who dedicated a lifetime of support and service to Walsall Football Club and its supporters.
My early memory of Royston is when we were both pupils at Edward Shelley High School in the early 1960's.
He was a football enthusiast in those days, and I can recall him attending school matches and giving the players marks out of 10 according to how he thought they had performed.
He inherited his passion for the Saddlers from his father Les, who also served on the committee of the Walsall Foootball Supporters Club. Royston followed in this path, joining the WFSC and working alongside the likes of John Wilson, Bernard Johnston, Sam Canning and Ken Morrall at a time when their fundraising efforts were crucial in helping Walsall FC to survive a number of financial crises.
Royston will, of course, be remembered for his role as Travel Secretary for the Supporters Club over many years. It is no exaggeration to say that there will hardly be any Walsall supporter who at some time or other has not benefited from the meticulous arrangements made by Royston for travelling to a Saddlers away game.
Many supporters of my generation will have memories of standing outside the regular 'picking up ' points of Bloxwich High Street, Station Street, Brown Lion, Delves Post Office on cold winter mornings waiting for a Central Coachways bus, with Royston sitting on the front seat , to take
us to some faraway destination to watch the Saddlers in action.
The demise of the Supporters Club in recent years will have saddened him greatly, but his commitment to the Saddlers and to providing an away travel service for supporters never wavered right up to the end of his life.
Royston was a genuinely nice guy who will be remembered with great affection by those who knew him.
There are many people who have given a lifetime of support to Walsall FC but few can surpass the time, commitment and level of dedication given by Royston. He is truly a Walsall legend.
Our condolences go to Royston's family and friends on their sad loss. He will be sadly missed.’