A former Abergavenny Thursdays goalkeeper who played for the club during their 'golden era' in the 1960s and later returned to the club to become an integral part of the team that won promotion to Welsh League Division One in the 1975/76 season has passed away aged 69.

Described as a very popular sporting all-rounder and a true winner by all those who played alongside him, Des Norton was one of the few Abergavenny lads whose sporting prowess earned him a place in the high-flying Thursdays team that graced the Pen-y-Pound pitch in the early 1960s.

Former Thursdays coach Ray Warren, who played alongside Des during the 1975/76 season when the Thursdays won the Welsh League Division Two title said, "One of the things that made Des unique was his natural sporting ability. He wasn't the tallest of goalkeepers but his tremendous agility more than compensated for what he lacked in height. He was also a fairly handy little outfield player too as I recall.

"Des was renowned for being versatile in a whole range of different sports, from squash, tennis, rugby, cricket, and golf, right up to swimming and diving, he was a natural-born winner.

"Not only did he play cricket for Abergavenny he also played cricket for Pen-y-Fal, when they were one of the most successful midweek teams in the area.

"He's also fondly remembered for three consecutive victories in the prestigious Sporting Super Stars event that used to be held in Abergavenny and which he won in 1975, 1976, and 1977."

After having a trial for West Ham when he was 17, Des made a name for himself as a young keeper with the Abergavenny Thursdays. Later on he left the club to play for Merthyr Town but eventually returned to the rolling green of Pen-y-Pound.

After leaving the club for a second time to become a player/coach with Govilon, Des finally returned to the Thursdays fold in the mid-seventies and helped them secure their bid for Welsh League Division One status.

Ray recalled, "Des loved football and the Thursdays were his anchor. Whenever I bumped into him, we'd always chat about the past, present, and future of the club. In fact, if you'd asked him what football team he supported, he'd probably tell you the Thursdays."

Ray added, "He was a key member of the town's twinning committee when it came to arranging and preparing for the football matches between Abergavenny and Ostringen, but the thing I remember most about Des was that he was a straightforward kind of guy who always told it how it was."