England boss leads the tributes to Dave Matthews

The former Baggies head coach joined Hawthorns captain Chris Brunt and a host of current and former players in praising Matthews, who died suddenly on Sunday, aged 67.

Hodgson, who left the Hawthorns to take charge of England on the day of Matthews' retirement, said: "I was very sad to hear of Dave's passing.

"He was a well liked, loved and respected figure at West Bromwich Albion right up until his retirement last year.

"Dave's loyalty and dedication to the club – an amazing 51 years – was legendary.

"During my time at Albion he fought very bravely and won a battle against cancer.

"He then fully recovered and was in good health and spirits at the time we both left the club.

"My sympathies go to his family and friends at this sad time. He will be missed by everyone at the club."

Matthews, who was in remission after suffering Non-Hodgkin lymphoma but had been diagnosed with a rare heart condition, died at his home in Halesowen on Sunday.

He joined the Baggies as a 15-year-old in 1961 and remained until his retirement at the end of last season.

Brunt, who worked with Matthews for five years, said: "He will be sorely missed.

"I worked with him for a long time, as did quite a few of the lads who are still here, and he was a big part of this club.

"Even after he retired, he used to come and visit the training ground regularly and it was always good to see him.

"On the back of Del (masseur Derrick Jones) passing away just before Christmas, it's been a really tough year for the club.

"Dave has always been a big Albion supporter and the service he gave the club from the age of 15 was pretty incredible.

"He knew a lot of the supporters and was a popular figure. It's a really sad day for everyone connected with the club."

Defender Steven Reid, goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely and former players Curtis Davies, Russell Hoult, Geoff Horsfield, Darren Carter and Kevin Donovan were among those who took to Twitter to leave tributes.