Ipswich Town’s players, staff, fans and legends paid an emotional tribute to the late, great, Kevin Beattie prior to kick-off of this evening’s clash with Brentford.
Beattie, voted the club’s greatest player on multiple occasions, passed away on Sunday after suffering a suspected heart attack. He was 64.
Tributes have flooded in from the world of football since his death, with the Portman Road flags flown at half mast and messages left around the stadium.
Many of his former team-mates, including George Burley, Terry Butcher, Allan Hunter, John Wark and Mick Mills, were in attendance on an emotional night at Portman Road while the current Town side wore black armbands in tribute to a club legend.
Beattie’s family were the club’s guests of honour for the evening, with members of the family leading the teams out after his former team-mates had paraded his famous number six jersey as part of their own tribute.
Prior to kick-off a minute’s applause was held as both teams gathered around the centre circle, with Portman Road first falling silent before erupting with the sound of hands clapping.
‘There’s only one Kevin Beattie’ rang out from the North Stand, where a banner in his memory was unfurled, with others following suit soon after before the action began.
The applause and chants began again after six minutes, in recognition of Beattie’s shirt number.
Beattie was part of Sir Bobby Robson’s great Ipswich Town sides of the 1970s and 80s, which won the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, before his career was cruelly cut short by a knee injury.
He won nine England caps.
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