Town talk - The Beat was a special, loveable man who will be sadly missed but never forgotten

LIKE anyone with an affinity to Ipswich Town, I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear the news of Kevin Beattie’s death on Sunday afternoon.

I wasn’t fortunate enough to see him play but gather he was a supremely talented defender – absurdly strong, lightning-quick, powerful in the air and calm and confident on the ball.

By all accounts, he was far more than a rugged, no-nonsense defender.

He had more strings to his bow and was regarded as the club’s best-ever player. An incredible accolade.

While my era watching Ipswich came long after Kevin hung up his boots, I was honoured and privileged to get to know him in recent years, during my time in the press box.

Kevin was working on local radio during my early years covering Town and while it can sometimes be dangerous meeting famous people or folk you look up to – in case their personality doesn’t match their talent – I can safely say the great man was first class.

I’m sure you will have read and heard plenty of tributes and, from my experiences, he was fully deserving of the warmth and praise lavished on him this week.

So friendly, totally approachable and uniquely grounded, he was a joy to spend time with and there wasn’t the merest hint of an ego – despite people constantly telling him he was the greatest.

There wasn’t a drop of bitterness, either.

Kevin could and should have won more than nine England caps, he could and should have played for longer – rather than having his career cruelly curtailed by injury – and he could and should have earned far more from the game he loved.

In a different era, certainly in today’s market, he would have been a multi-millionaire superstar.

From conversations I had with him, though, he didn’t have any regrets. He was content with his lot and grateful and blessed to have had the career he had.

Kevin was a man with time for everyone.

He was respected by fellow pros – many a time former players working in the media would embrace him before or after games and managers would stop mid-press conference when he caught their eye.

But he also loved chatting to fans and had a warmth and humility that made him so easy to talk to.

Radio star - Kevin Beattie alongside guest Steve Foley at the BBC Radio Suffolk studios in 2016

I remember travelling by train with him and other press boys to an Ipswich match at QPR.

There were lots of supporters on board and, as you can imagine, word spread like wildfire that the great man was on board.

People were moving through carriages to grab a word, autograph and photo with the Beat.

Some players would have been uncomfortable with that. Embarrassed and possibly even irritated.

Not Kevin, who was absolutely brilliant – patient, kind and friendly – with every single one of them. It was a joy to witness.

I had the pleasure of stepping in for Kevin on two occasions as a co-commentator on BBC Radio Suffolk.

The first came after illness ruled him out of a match at Southampton.

The second followed car problems on route to Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.

I picked him up as planned, at a hotel in Ipswich, but alas my car soon broke down.

With the clock ticking, we had to come up with a plan B and the only option was getting a taxi to the station and then jumping on the first train to Nottingham.

Kevin didn’t like that plan, though.

With a quick check of his watch and a cheeky smile, he decided to take a rain check and I was asked to step in on the radio.

Others obviously knew him far better than me, including the older press boys who worked with him during his playing days.

But from chatting to them, I know no-one had a bad word to say about him. Not one.

He was just a very special, loveable man who will be sadly missed but never forgotten.

The ultimate Ipswich Town hero.