FORMER Ipswich Town star Ken Malcolm has died, aged 79, after a lengthy illness.The Aberdeen-born defender, who made 293 appearances during 10 years at Portman Road, passed away in Ipswich Hospital on Tuesday.
By Mel Henderson
FORMER Ipswich Town star Ken Malcolm has died, aged 79, after a lengthy illness.
The Aberdeen-born defender, who made 293 appearances during 10 years at Portman Road, passed away in Ipswich Hospital on Tuesday.
A former male nurse in the Royal Navy, Ken was signed from Arbroath in 1954 and was part of the Alf Ramsey revolution that saw Town win the Third Division (South) three years later.
Ipswich then went on to win the Second Division in 1961, when Ken missed just one game, and then stunned the football world by capturing the First Division crown just 12 months later.
Unfortunately for the rugged full-back, he suffered a slipped disc just three games into the memorable League Championship-winning campaign and failed to re-appear until the following season.
He had the distinction of captaining Town in their first-ever European game at Portman Road, the home leg of the European Cup preliminary round tie against Maltese club Floriana.
Ipswich won the game 10-0 and Ken, at 36, was the oldest player in the side, a sign that his career was drawing to a close.
When he hung up his boots in 1964 he spent two years coaching the juniors, having helped new boss Jackie Milburn to launch the prolific youth system that was to pay handsome dividends in the future.
Ken and his wife, Emerald, ran the Gosbeck Greyhound until 1968, when they moved to Needham Market, and the following year they returned north of the border.
He ran his own business as a wholesale fish merchant, then the couple moved to Guernsey, where their daughter and her family are still based today.
They came back to Ipswich and Ken worked for Fisons, first as a caretaker and then as a driver, until retiring in 1991.
He was a regular at the annual ex-players' reunion, having attended the first in 1979 and every other evening until illness prevented him being present at this year's event.
Ken, who also coached Whitton United, is survived by his wife, a daughter, also called Emerald, and two grandsons.
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