Alan A'Court, who died on 15 December, 2009, aged 75, was a stalwart of Liverpool in the 1950s and early ’60s.

Although the Reds spent most of this period in the Second Division, A'Court established a strong reputation as a left-winger and represented England in the 1958 World Cup campaign.

He was born in Rainhill on Merseyside on 30 September, 1934, and signed for Liverpool at the age of 18 from an amateur side, rejecting advances from other local clubs such as Everton and Bolton Wanderers.

By 1954 he had established himself as a regular but the club were relegated from the First Division that season. Nevertheless, A’Court stayed loyal to Liverpool and was a permanent fixture in the team that eventually won promotion in 1962 under the leadership of Bill Shankly.

Unfortunately for A’Court, who had already amassed 381 appearances and 63 goals by the time he was 30, a spate of injuries meant he could not play a part in the 1963/64 season, at the end of which Liverpool were crowned English Champions.

Having missed out on his chance for deserved glory, the following October he moved to Fourth Division Tranmere Rovers, who narrowly missed out on promotion in both 1965 and 1966, before retiring.

He went on to various coaching roles, spending a decade at Stoke City which culminated in a brief spell as caretaker manager in 1978. He later had a teaching role at North Staffordshire Polytechnic, before opening a tobacconist’s business back in Merseyside.