Stars out in force to pay tribute to Ray Matts
Some of the biggest names in British football turned out this afternoon to pay tribute to former Express & Star sports journalist Ray Matts, who they described as a "wonderful" man whose memory will live on.
Some of the biggest names in British football turned out this afternoon to pay tribute to former Express & Star sports journalist Ray Matts, who they described as a "wonderful" man whose memory will live on.
A funeral was held at Streetley Crematorium for Mr Matts, who died earlier this month at the age of 70 after a short illness. He leaves widow Valerie and son Timothy.
Former Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, ex-Villa, Wolves and England manager Graham Taylor and former Birmingham and England striker Trevor Francis were among the mourners.
They were joined by a host of former players and managers including Ron Saunders, Gary McAllister, Brendon Batson and Ian St John. Former Villa manager Brian Little also attended.
Former Villa and Albion boss Ron Atkinson delivered a reading at the service and goalkeeping coach Mick Kearns was there representing Walsall Football Club.
Representatives were also at the service from Formula One, a sport he covered in his long career.
The service was conducted by Reverend Denis Sunley, a former West Bromwich Albion correspondent for the Express & Star and now a minister at St Thomas's Church in Huntington.
The coffin was wheeled into the church to Tina Turner's Simply the Best and left to Status Quo's Rockin' All Over The World.
During a 50-year career, Mr Matts covered some of region's greatest sporting triumphs. He started work in the mid 1950s on the Midland Chronicle, the former West Bromwich-based weekly newspaper.
He switched to the Express & Star in 1961 during which time he covered Albion's 1968 FA Cup triumph. Later, he moved to the Birmingham Evening Mail and the Daily Mail, the paper at which he remained until his retirement five years ago.
News of his death brought tributes from across the Midlands sporting scene - and plenty of laughter as anecdotes were swapped.
Former Albion and Villa boss Ron Atkinson today paid tribute to the much-loved sports writer.
He said: "Ray was a wonderful character and probably one of the most popular guys I have known.
"The first time he ever wrote about me, though, he suggested while the Albion team were looking good he was a little bit worried about the manager who still had his 'L' plates on!
"But I really got to know him in the later years and we began to socialise together and he was fantastic to be around."
Ex Villa boss Brian Little said: "He was just a brilliant reporter and someone who you could talk to both as a player and manager."
Former Albion director Jeff Farmer told the story of when Matts was a Formula One correspondent.
He said: "He volunteered to referee a football game between the drivers and the media. Thousands of people turned up to watch and Mattsy tossed the coin and then tore a calf muscle bending to pick it up.
"He ended up refereeing the game entirely from the centre circle. At the end, when all the players began throwing their signed shirts in to the crowd, Mattsy thought he would follow suit — only to realise he had left his wallet in there.
"That's typical of the stories we all treasure about him but he was a brilliant reporter — as the tributes which have poured in from all over the sporting world will testify."
