By Brian Bennett
Tributes have poured in following the sudden passing of a former director and football secretary at Ashington Football Club.
A family man as well as a passionate football supporter, Brian Robson died at the end of last month aged 63.
Lewis Robson, Brian’s elder son, 28, said: “Dad got diagnosed with stage four lung cancer on March 13 and passed away on the morning of March 30 at NSEC (Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington).
Brian who was born in Ashington, worked for Piramal (formerly Searle) for 31 years as an engineering stores co-ordinator before he moved to AkzoNobel in Ashington carrying out the same role for 11 years.
He was a mad keen supporter in footballing circles with England, Newcastle United and Ashington all of whom he followed home and away and was planning to go to the 2026 World Cup in the United States – where he already had a ticket for the final.
Brian was a season ticket holder at Newcastle United for over 40 years and was operations manager at Cramlington Juniors where he organised Sportsman’s dinners – a task he also did for Ashington Football Club.
Lewis added: “Dad massively supported me. He was the biggest influence in my life. It was always me and him with the football as he took me to training in rain and snow with late nights and early mornings, whilst with my younger brother Alex, dad supported him with his music and rock concerts. Dad had nothing left on his bucket list – anything he wanted to do he would do it and he lived life to the full. He went to four European championships with England and it would have been to three World Cups– Quatar, Russia and the US as well as to countless nation league games and friendlies.”
Garford Beck manager of the England fans’ football team said: “The first time I met Brian was in the departure lounge at Stansted Airport on 14th October 2008. We were going to watch England play Belarus in Minsk. I said to him I’ve got a fans match tomorrow in Minsk do you fancy giving me a hand and we hit it off straight away and became firm pals. I got him involved with the fans team and made him assistant manager. I also got to know his family. It was almost 20 years of almost brotherly love and people often asked if we were brothers. We had such a good laugh together and were there for each other. The last time I saw him was in Tirana in Albania in November last year but we kept in touch by phone. I am based in London but I am travelling up for the funeral. I shall miss the laughs and camaraderie we shared – a bond broken only by his untimely passing.”
Brian Shotton, former chairman at Ashington said: “It is very sad and a massively untimely death. Brian had a lot more to give, not just to his family and friends but what he did following England everywhere as well as Newcastle United. Brian didn’t want to make a fuss, so not many of us knew about his illness and as much as it is sad, it’s also a blessing that he didn’t suffer for too long. I worked closely with Brian for a number of years and he contributed a lot to Ashington Football Club and we’ll continue to recognise that as we have done with others – and we’ll mark his passing with the wake here on the day of his funeral. There was also a minutes’ applause for Brian before our home match against Heaton Stannington which was a nice moment.”
Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery – who was chairman at the Woodhorn Lane club when Brian was football secretary said: “I’ve know ‘Pop’ since we were kids. He was a smashing friend then and has been a smashing friend since. He didn’t have a bad word for anyone and was ready to help when needed. Brian lived his life for his family and his football. He was a lad with a great sense of community spirit. He never forgot his roots and was a living encyclopaedia on football cliches. He was always great craic and always in a decent fettle. Brian will be a huge miss.”
A funeral service for Brian was being held at the Northumberland Woodland Burial and Crematorium at Bockenfield, Morpeth on Wednesday of this week.