R.I.P. Eddie Marsh

I am saddened to report the death of Eddie Marsh in Cheshire last week at the age of 83. Eddie was Sam Bartram's understudy and I wrote of him on one of my pages:

One day, to my horror, Sam was not in the goalmouth: my father told me that he had been injured in training. (A bit odd considering that training in those days usually consisted of running around the pitch or up and down the East Terrace to build stamina). Fortunately, the reserve goalkeeper, Eddie Marsh, proved equal to the occasion and we beat Cardiff 3-2. The kind of loyalty that Eddie showed to the club is almost unknown today. He was reserve goalkeeper throughout the Bartram era, but he stayed with the club, although he knew that he would only get a game when Bartram was injured.

I was pleased to hear from his son-in-law that he was able to visit The Valley just before his 80th birthday with his grandchildren and was able to see many pictures of himself on the boardroom walls.

I hope to write an extended tribute at a later date.