Steve Bull: The late Paul Darby was a real gentleman

He was a very good friend until the end who will be sadly missed.

My condolences go to the family and the people around him – it’s a very sad loss.

Paul joined the club at the same time as Graham Turner and Barry Powell, who was coming towards the end of his playing career and was part of the coaching team.

The three of them all stuck together and got the club as far as they could.

They were three individual characters but worked really well together and Paul was a very good physio who helped me so much.

But not just me, he helped everyone – from the youngsters to the oldest players.

The way he spoke to people, he was so approachable and thorough in his work. His expertise in sports physio was unbelievable.

We would go out and have a pint with him – we were one big unit at the club and Paul was a big part of that. He will be sadly missed.

He loved to help people and nothing was too much for him.

Whether you had a blister on your toe or a hamstring issue, he would sort it out for you. It didn’t matter if it was big or small, whatever the problem was he would help you at no cost.

He had a smile on his face and the odd cheeky comment – he was a very good bloke.

We stayed friends after he left Wolves and stayed in touch. The last time I saw him was at Bridgnorth market and we caught up on old times.

We played a few games of golf together too and he had a dodgy handicap – but don’t we all!

He was a good golfer, a good bloke, a good friend and a very good physio.

At the age of 66, he’s been taken far too early. It shows we have to live every day as it comes and I know Paul lived like that.

He will be sadly missed by everyone at Wolves and those he helped over the years. My thoughts go out to his family at this very difficult time.