Jeff Astle Day: Albion fans and family united in homage to The King

Players and supporters came together to celebrate the legacy of the late former striker and mark the launch of the Jeff Astle Foundation which will be dedicated to researching the brain condition which claimed his life 13 years ago.

There was a celebratory mood among supporters before kick-off as they remembered The King and marked Astle Day.

Kelvin Stokes, 66, was in his late teens when Astle scored the cup final winner. He said: "I remember seeing him down at the old Throstle's Club in the weeks after we won, showing off the Cup.

"As a player he was dynamic, a real match winner. He was always there at the right time with his head.

"I remember he turned up once to a surprise someone we knew on their birthday and the first thing he said was 'where is the food' and later he was doing karaoke.

"He was one of the lads. He didn't put himself on a pedestal."

David Bing, 69, a season ticket holder, added: "We never lost a night game back in the 60s. They just used to put the ball over and Astle was there."

Inside The Hawthorns, there were emotional scenes as Astle's family came onto the pitch and his youngest grandson, two-year-old Joseph Jeffrey, carried out the match ball.

The current players emerged from the tunnel in replica tracksuits. The Premier League had given Albion permission for the players to wear a replica kit from the 1968 FA Cup final. It is only the second time the Premier League had sanctioned such a move. Previously Manchester United were allowed to do so to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster in 2008.

At half-time Astle's daughter Dawn told the fans her Dad had loved them "as much as they loved him" and thanked them for their support.

And Astle's widow, Laraine, presented the entire sell-out crowd with the Jeff Astle Memorial trophy – presented annually to people who have made an outstanding contribution to the club.

Dawn said: "The bit that was really tough was when they showed the current team coming out of the tunnel and then switched it to the Cup final team coming out of that famous tunnel at Wembley in 1968. I knew as the players were walking by that Dad would be walking towards me as a young man.

"It was just amazing. We always said it wasn't just Astle Day, it was a supporters' day."

The family have worked tirelessly to get research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy – known as boxer's brain – which claimed Astle's life. The Jeff Astle Foundation was officially launched at the game after years of battling with authorities.

Astle made 361 appearances and scored 174 goals for the Baggies between 1964-74. In the 1968 FA cup final he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Everton.

His life was cut short in 2002 by the serious brain condition linked to repeatedly heading the ball throughout his career. He was aged 59.

But Astle Day was about remembering the man and his achievements. The game was preceded by a 1968 playlist including What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong – the track that was at number one when the Baggies lifted the FA Cup.

And some of his team-mates from that win, including Doug Fraser, John Talbut, John Kaye and Graham Williams, were in the stands to watch as supporters in the Birmingham Road End raised coloured posters to form the message 'Astle, King' in the ninth minute in recognition of Astle's regular shirt number.

All who remembered Astle described him as a man of the people and a true legend. The message on Saturday was clear – All hail The King, Jeff Astle.