FANS, former players and colleagues gathered last week to pay their last respects to Spurs footballer Ralph Coates.

A memorial service was held in Enfield in honour of the former winger, who helped Tottenham to win the UEFA Cup in 1972 – his first season at the club.

Mr Coates went on to endear himself to the White Hart Lane faithful during the following season by scoring the winning goal in the League Cup final.

He died on December 17 at a hospital in Bedfordshire, aged 64, he had suffered two strokes earlier in the month.

Former Spurs teammates Martin Peters, Alan Mullery and Pat Jennings paid tribute to Mr Coates alongside his son Paul, and his granddaughter read a poem during the service.

A Burnley player before his transfer to Spurs in 1971 for £190,000, a large contingent of fans and former players travelled to Enfield for the memorial,from the north west.

Veronica Simpson, secretary of the Burnley Former Players Association, who made the trip, said: “The church was packed to the rafters with a lot of his former team mates and supporters. It was a nice service and there were a lot of glowing tributes to Ralph.”

After the service, a wake took place at White Hart Lane, where Mr Coates had plied his trade as a player and worked behind the scenes later in life as an ambassador for the club.