Legendary Sittingbourne FC footballer Harold Brockington will be laid to rest on Friday.

He joined the club in 1959 and still holds the record for playing more games for the town team than any other player since their inception in the 19th century.

The star started his playing career at the club in the late 1950s as a wing half.

In the 1959/60 season, he played for the squad when they won the Kent Senior Shield in a bitterly fought match against Tonbridge, which finished of 1-0.

He met lifelong friend Arnie Eckersall when they played together at the club, with “Brock”, as he was known to teammates, acting as his best man at his wedding.

Just three months after he tied the knot with his wife, Mary, Mr Brockington got married to his girlfriend, Brenda, at a ceremony in 1961.

Mr Eckersall said: “Me, my wife and Brock and Brenda Brockington became firm and lasting friends after winning the Kent Shield at the Angel Ground in Tonbridge.

“After the win, quite a few players were told that they would not be retained as Sittingbourne players the following season.Brock and I were OK. We have had many holidays and times together, and often walked down memory lane of the Bull Ground [where Sittingbourne FC played until it was sold in 1990].

“There was not one ground in Kent where Brock was not recognised as a stylish, hard, but honest and fair player.”

In the 1964/65 season, Mr Brockington moved from Sittingbourne to join Canterbury FC, which is where he finished his playing days.

He and Brenda later moved to Essex where they raised their family.

Mr Brockington died at the age of 80 in a hospice in Devon last month.