TRIBUTES have been paid to legendary former Altrincham defender Mal Bailey after he died, aged 67.

Renowned as a ferocious and fearless centre-back in the great side of the late 1970s, Mal became part of Alty folklore by scoring the goal that took them to Wembley for the first time, for the 1978 FA Trophy final.

Alty chairman Grahame Rowley said: "Everyone remembers Mal for that Trophy semi-final winner at Runcorn, yet another example of him sticking his head in where it shouldn't have been. "He was that type of player, a rough, tough, no-nonsense centre-half who always gave his all.

"He'd stick his head in where most players would be afraid to nowadays, and he always gave 100 per cent.

"You always knew what you were getting with Mal, and that endeared him to so many Altrincham supporters. We've had emails, messages and tributes from lots of people, including old team-mates.

"John Rogers and John King, two more great names from the past, have been in touch asking for funeral details. They were a very close-knit team, and I'm sure as many as possible will be there to pay their respects.

"Mal lived locally and used to call in for a chat every now and then, just to keep in touch. He was that type of person and will be missed by us all."

Signed from Runcorn at the start of the 1977-78 season, Mal made 250 Alty appearances, plus 10 as substitute, and scored 21 goals.

Funeral arrangements are to be announced.