'He was a special man': Jason Roberts thanks fans for giving his uncle Cyrille 'the send off he deserves'

Roberts, a former West Brom striker himself, gave an emotional speech at his uncle's memorial service this afternoon.

Speaking at The Hawthorns, Roberts described Cyrille as a 'special man' whose legacy 'must live on'.

He told the crowd: "My whole life being Cyrille's nephew was easy. It was always a benefit.

"In the park everyone wanted to be Cyrille Regis. Whether it was at my grandparents house knowing he was coming to speak to me as my uncle, not as an international footballer. The grace that he carried was my grandmothers, but today's been hard.

"Carrying his coffin with my cousin, uncle and family members, it was the first time it has been hard to be Cyrille Regis's nephew.

"People always wanted to spend time with him, to spend time around his influence."

"I was so fortunate to have that as a family member.

"It was hard today. It was hard when I came to West Brom as a record transfer and nobody was interested in me, they all wanted his autograph. The new £2.5m player was sitting in the corner. That was easy. It was easy when I asked what shirt I wanted, I looked at the no9 and thought that looks heavy to me, I'll have the no11.

"It was easy after the first few games, the West Brom fans saw me play, big and strong like his uncle, but first touch, goals, not so sure. It was easy being the 4th best player in the family, going to dinners. That was easy.

"But this has made me reflect on the impact he made on me, my family, football and society. People who thought they weren't welcome and couldn't play. The way he interacted with me or my family wasn't necessarily unique.

"Everybody who was inspired by him, that's why I went on to play football. It's why my uncle David went on to have a football career, why I wanted to have a career. That belief when I was told I wasn't good enough, released by several clubs, that wasn't unique, that was the same thing he said to so many young footballers.

"That's what he stood for, the way he dealt with people. That was just the way he acted. As an individual and a family we don't own the legacy of Cyrille Regis, everybody here does, everybody who's been touched by him, everybody who's been motivated to stay here in the cold and listen to his legacy.

"He was a special man and his legacy must live on through our memories of him."

"I hope we remember not only what he did but what many people in the crowd have done.

"Football can be for everybody, they stood up for the abuse like I never could. They are heroes, I want to thank them while they're here, not only when they've passed.

"I want to thank everybody for being here today and sending my uncle off in the way he deserves."