Glyne's poignant last letter from Gordon Banks

But it was not until nearly half a century later that the England World Cup winner would finally meet his hero – through Brewood fundraiser Glyne Wetton.

And Mr Wetton, who had been a close friend of Williams for many years, today reveals his last conversations with Banks, who died on Tuesday.

"I had a letter from him about three weeks ago, and he said he was not very well, so I went up to see him," says the 84-year-old.

"I could see he was in a bad way."

In later life, Banks and Williams had been a prolific fundraisers for the Alzheimer's Society, and the charity was clearly on Banks's mind when Mr Wetton saw him at his Staffordshire home last month.

"Walsall FC are running a fundraising evening in Bert's memory at Rushall Olympic FC next month, and Gordon was coming.

"I said 'are you hoping to be there', and he said 'yes, I'll be coming'. But he then said 'in case I'm having one of my bad days, let me sign an autographed picture to auction off'."

This might now be the last signed picture of Banks, who went on to become Telford United manager from 1979-81.

It was through the charity that Mr Wetton was able to finally bring the two goalkeeping legends together ­– with the help of England's World Cup winning captain Sir Bobby Charlton.

"I had been talking to Bob Charlton about some fundraising we were doing, and he then got in touch with me and asked me if 'I looked after Bert Williams'," said Mr Wetton.

"I told him it was more a case of him looking after me, but that, yes, we were friends.

"He said Gordon Banks had been asking him if he knew how to put him in touch with Bert Williams, so I was able to introduce the two of them."

He recalls Banks was quite nervous at the prospect of meeting his hero.

"He was quite excited, he kept saying 'will it be all right, will it be all right?', but Bert was also quite excited as well."

Williams, who lived in Shifnal, began raising money for the Alzheimer's Society in 2002 following the death of his wife Evelyn from the condition.

Banks – who revealed two years ago that three of his World Cup winning teammates were also suffering from the condition – also became a tireless campaigner for the charity.

"He had been to Molineux five or six times, and there would always be 200 people there. He was a great man, and we will miss him."

Williams had originally set himself a target of raising £150,000 for the charity, but by the time of his death five years ago the fund had reached £180,000.

"After Bert died, Gordon said 'can we keep going to raise another £20,000, to make it £200,000," Mr Wetton said, adding that the fund has just passed £195,000.

Mr Wetton said the event at Rushall Olympic would still go ahead as planned on March 21, with Willenhall-born former England striker Allan Clarke now the guest of honour.

In his last letter to Mr Wetton, Banks wrote: "I hope you and your wife are are well, I have been having a a lot of bad days lately. I don't know whether they come from, but I know I have just got to get on with it and hope I get back to normal, but it isn't nice.

"I have seen Wolves twice on television, and they seem to be doing quite well."

Banks's death also brought back memories for former Bilston headmaster Phil Staley, who remember watching a young Gordon Banks struggling to break into Chesterfield's reserves.

"At the time Chesterfield had a goalkeeper called Ron Powell, who kept him out the first team," said Mr Staley, who worked at Wilkinson Primary School, and lives in the Penn area of Wolverhampton.

"At the time it looked as if Gordon Banks wasn't going anywhere. But he stuck with it, and Ron Powell retired – they took a bag round the ground and collected £600 for him ­­– and Banks got his chance."

*Tickets for an evening with Allan Clarke, on March 21 at Rushall Olympic FC are priced £20, including a fish-and-chip supper, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Society. For more information telephone Steve Davies on 07799 835388.