Celebrating Gary Wood Never walk alone I had nothing but respect for Gary, I always wished his temperament would rub off on me. A truly great guy. Sad is not the word. I sent a little story to Liverpool Football club about Gary. I tried my best to put over the type of person he was, the charity work, the way he made others feel and an all-round great person. And of course, the love for football and LFC. The club have been moved by Garys story and very tragic death. Subsequently the club will be issuing a letter of condolence addressed to Steve. I am at Anfield for tonights game and will be singing Youll Never Walk Alone that extra bit louder in memory of Gary. Amer Jawad A great loss I have known Gary through football, playing for the same Sunday teams Caldecote Vets, Ambassadors Vets and Zoology and against his Yellows team on Monday nights. We used to decide on Monday which teams we were going to play for the following Sunday. He is a great loss for all the teams he played for, on and off the pitch, and will be missed. Rest in peace Gary. Will Chung-How Hugely passionate Gary was a very talented footballer whose skills we all enjoyed watching. He was hugely passionate about the game and admired for his leadership. He regularly urged us on to greater efforts on a Wednesday night when we were flagging. We shall miss him on the football pitch. Nick Cairns Mischievous fun It has no doubt been expressed more eloquently by others who knew Gary better, but it is Garys mischievous sense of fun that stands out, as epitomised by his regular attempts to lob the keeper at five-a-sides. Guy Mulley He really did embody team spirit I played football alongside Gary for four different teams over the last 16 years, not counting several years of Wednesday night five-a-sides. He was always a genuine pleasure to play alongside and to be around. I doubt that there were more than a handful of occasions when he didnt find the time during the warm-up beforehand to place the ball on the penalty spot and announce to anyone listening that this was his 479th (or whatever insert unfeasibly large number) successive penalty without missing. It was a pleasure to see his mischievous delight in our groans when he scored and even in our joyous laughter on the rare occasions when he missed. The next part of his pre-match ritual was to single me out and, knowing that my first touch leaves something to be desired, to belt the ball into the stratosphere while instructing me to kill it when it came down. Inevitably it would bounce off my shin and he would shake his head sorrowfully at me and lament my lack of skill. It never hurt to be on the receiving end of Garys acerbic wit it was always warm, always funny and it was never cruel or mean-spirited. He had a natural ability to include people and to encourage them. He really did embody team spirit warm, supportive and genuinely thoughtful. On the pitch and off. Its a rare gift to be able to bring out the best in people - Gary had it unfailingly, though one or two opponents became more than a little irritated at his uncanny knack for stealing and retaining the football. For all his competitiveness, I never saw him, even in the heat of the moment, behave in a small-minded or vicious way. Its horrible to say goodbye to Gary. But hes left me some great memories and a powerful sense of how a true gentleman behaves. Paul Fletcher Just one of the nicest guys you could meet I had the honour of playing with and against Gary as a goalkeeper for about five years. He was just one of the nicest guys you could meet. He would often come forward and try a cheeky lob in the warm-up just to test me out and that was when he was on the other team. My last match playing with Gary was my birthday, January 21 2019. We were winning the game and with two minutes left I saw Gary in space just outside the box. There were few reasons I would really shout at my defenders but Gary hovering was one of them. The ball was passed to him, he stepped forward and hammered it into my top right-hand corner and it was a beautiful goal. The game finished and he had salvaged a draw. You could never get angry when Gary scored the first reaction was to smile whatever the impact of the goal. I emailed him that night and we had some typically cheeky banter about the wonder goal. It often felt that Gary scored far too many of those special goals that last one is one I will never forget; it now feels like there were far too few. Darren Richards Direct, but not an arse Words fall short on explaining how much Gary will be missed. I had the pleasure of seeing him on Sundays as we shared the black and white stripes of Zoology. A great footballer, he showed true grit, determination and talent whenever he played. Off the pitch, whether before, after or the occasional times I shared a beer with him, he was always so warm and interesting. He had this great personality that drew you in and made you feel comfortable. He had an art for being cheeky not rude, direct but not an arse and laid back but not lazy. He was just a great guy to be around and Im very lucky I had the chance to know him. James Baston Pitt 20 Celebrating_Gary Wood.indd 20 01/04/2019 15:54