Thousands of fans hold minute's silence for not dead footballer

More than 2,000 football fans held a minute's silence for one of their amateur team's greatest stars after reports of his death, only for his 'widow' to tell them he was alive and living in Kent.

Tommy Farrer, 86, starred for Bishop Auckland FC, known as the Two Blues, in the years after the Second World War. He also won 20 caps for England at amateur level.

After reports that he was dead, the club noted the sad details in their match day programme and held a silence before their latest game. They even arranged for a tribute to appear in a local newspaper.



Club chairman Terry Jackson then telephoned Mr Farrer's wife Gladys, 87, to offer the club's condolences. But Mrs Farrer told the stunned chairman he could pass on his comments to her husband himself, adding: "He will be back in a minute. He's only popped out to get a paper."

The couple, who now live in Maidstone, Kent, have just celebrated their 65th anniversary and took reports of Mr Farrer's death in good spirits.

Mr Farrer said: "I'm very moved that they went to such trouble for me, I played for them a very long time ago.We are not upset, but we did think it was a bit of a joke at first."