West Brom goalkeeper Tony Godden remembered as brilliant, reliable and 'real pro' by former team-mates

Few are better qualified than Ally Robertson to remember the career of Albion goalkeeping hero Tony Godden, who died on Sunday aged 70 following illness.

Godden, who hailed from Gillingham in Kent, was the man between the sticks behind that indomitable backline of Batson, Wile, Robertson and Statham in the glorious Baggies era of the late 1970s.

The goalkeeper was remembered as a true shot-stopper. Godden, signed from non-league Ashford Town in home county, was not the biggest but you would go a long way to find anybody more agile between the sticks.

“For me, Tony was the greatest ‘saver’ we've had,” Robertson, 73, told the Express & Star.

“He was absolutely brilliant. We knew that if we were beaten on a header, he'd save it.

“Me and John used to tell him not to come out for crosses. We'll attack everything, but he will make the save.

“How many saves would he have made down that Brummie Road end? He was absolutely brilliant.”

His displays helped the Baggies compete towards the summit of the top flight and thrill in runs to the FA Cup semi-final and UEFA Cup last eight.

While Laurie Cunningham - who made his debut on the same day as Godden at Tottenham in 1977 - and Cyrille Regis dazzled and bullied in the final third, Godden and towering defensive duo of Wile and Robertson kept the door shut at the other end.

Nothing sums up Godden’s reliability and consistency more than his surely-insurmountable club-record of 228 consecutive appearances between August 1977 and November 1981.

Godden, not more than 6ft but with outstanding agility, arrived in the Black Country as an untested 21-year-old and before long was handed the daunting responsibility of following in the footsteps of the man most consider the club’s greatest between the sticks in John Osborne.

“The biggest thing for Tony was he had to take over from John Osborne,” Robertson added. “John is the best goalkeeper Albion have had.

“The two of them learned so much from each other. It was great. Ossie used to talk to him and he made him a better goalkeeper. Tony just kept on progressing.

“It was a great time for us and a great time for any player, especially young player, to come into our team.”

Godden lived in the Charlemont neighbourhood of town before moving to Walsall’s Broadway area, where he was a neighbour of Robertson and Tony Brown.

He formed a close friendship with many of the tight-knit squad with Robertson, Regis, Statham and Batson never far from a social event.

“His reflexes were terrific,” recalled ‘Bomber’ Brown, who kept Godden on his toes regularly during training.

“Ally, John and Tony were a great unit, they had a great understanding. The whole back four did.

“I always say you need your goalscorers, but you won't win football matches unless you've got a back four or back five that's solid and can keep clean sheets.

“I highly rated TG, as we called him. He'd come in every morning and once he was out on the training pitch, he was very enthusiastic about what he did. He was a real pro.

“We thought it would be hard to replace Ossie, but TG came in and did the job brilliantly.”

Brown, Albion record appearance maker and goalscorer, added: “He was good in the dressing room.

“He got along with the lads and that's the secret, you see.

“There were no airs and graces about him. His feet were on the floor and the lads took to him. And then he performed brilliantly. So everybody in the team at the time thought ‘what a good keeper we've got here to replace Ossie’.

“His reflexes were incredible. He was so agile. He was so consistent, he just performed.

“You have to have a good goalkeeper. You start with your keeper, and he’s the main man.”

Albion players will wear black armbands during Friday's home match against Wrexham, before which there will be a minute's applause.