TRIBUTES have been paid to Altrincham FC's legendary supporter Kenny Palin, who died in hospital yesterday.

Players past and present have paid heartfelt tributes to legendary support Kenny gave the club.

Renowned for initiating the zigger-zagger chant that reverberated round the ground and bellowing "get your subs on" at a succession of Alty managers, Kenny was a larger-than-life character known to everyone at The J Davidson Stadium and also Timperley Cricket Club.

News of his death after a short illness was shared on social media with Alty players, officials and supporters taking to Twitter to share memories and express their sadness.

"Such a lovely guy," wrote Stuart Coburn, who made a record number of appearances for Alty. "Never had a bad word for anyone, but had me on toast after many a game, telling me how many goals I’d let in. Proper Alty legend."

Former Alty centre-back Scott Leather recounted a similar experience, saying: "Always the first to tell me 'you were rubbish today' – what a guy", while long-serving defender Shaun Densmore tweeted: "Rest in Peace, Kenny. Loved moaning at Stuart Coburn as much as I did!"

Ex-Alty striker Rod Thornley reacted to the news that broke this morning by writing: "Sad, sad day. I was only speaking to him in Partington last week. RIP Kenny, huge part of my time at Alty, even invited himself to my wedding ceremony. Brilliant. Moss Lane will sorely miss you."

Alty chairman Grahame Rowley described Kenny’s affinity with the club by saying: "He would phone the office five or six times a day without fail, often just for a chat, but also to tell us all the latest results, who had scored for which team and what fixtures were coming up.

"He was so friendly and informative about local matters, and it’s an endearing memory of him, the way we'd hear from him every single day."

Timperley Cricket Club said in a tweet: "It has been a tough day but so heart warming to hear so many great memories about the great Kenny Palin.

"We shall pass on funeral arrangements in due course, but for now, our thoughts are with Kenny's family."