TRIBUTES have been pouring in for a dedicated Dalry Thistle servant following his recent death.

Longtime committee member Billy Duncan recently passed away aged 82, after a short illness.

Fans and officials of the Garnock Valley club have been generous in their tributes to the Thistle stalwart and super fan who was such a well-kent face at Merksworth Park.

Secretary Bill Daly paid his respects to his fellow committee member.

He said: “Billy has been involved with the club for 50 years and he was a real character who had a great sense of humour.

“He would normally be found at the gate selling raffle tickets and lots of people knew him.

“Billy will be really missed as he was so well-known at Dalry Thistle and he did an awful lot for the club.”

Added Bill: “He was a really big supporter of the team and was at the games most Saturdays up until recently when he became ill.”

Asked what Billy’s high points were during his time at the club, Bill said: “It must have been reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup in 2011.

“We also won the league a couple of seasons ago which he really enjoyed and a few years before that we won another league title so he enjoyed celebrating those.”

Sports Editor Stewart McConnell also has good memories of the octogenarian over the years.

He said: “Billy was one of those larger-than-life characters.

“I always remember he would try to coaxe me into buying a raffle ticket at the gate and I would usually oblige.

“I would often see him in the tea room, having a chat about Dalry Thistle and junior football in general.

“He had his own opinion on sport and it was always good to share my views with him.

“Junior football clubs have too few of these characters nowadays and that’s unfortunate.

“He was dedicated to the club and had so many stories to tell about all of his experiences in the game.”

During his working life, Billy was based at the Brickworks in Dalry.

He was a lifelong Dalry resident, having been born and bred in the town, although he stayed briefly in Kilwinning until not long before his death.