A former Angus man has died of cancer in New Zealand just weeks after his terminal diagnosis.
Stephen Gove, 55, was a former Brechin City FC player and he continued to play and coach football up until last month.
As well as a spell in the professional ranks at Glebe Park, “Govey” also played at junior level for Brechin Vics, Forfar West End, Arbroath SC and Montrose Roselea.
His passion for football continued in New Zealand with playing and coaching spells with Albany United, Hibiscus Coast, Warkworth and East Coast Bays.
One highlight of his football career was playing for the over-35s New Zealand team and winning gold at the Masters Games in Brisbane, Australia, in 2004.
His son Kelvin, 35, said: “He was diagnosed a little over a month ago with terminal cancer.
“This came as an extreme shock, as he was playing football right up until this point.
“He attended his granddaughter Isla’s birthday party and watched a game of football the day before he passed.
“He died of complications from a procedure the day before his 36th wedding anniversary.
“His wife, father and children were all around him listening to him crack jokes and being his usual charismatic self right up until his last breath.”
Mr Gove’s former teammates in New Zealand will wear their respective club colours to his funeral and give him a guard of honour.
A spokesman for Hibiscus Coast said Mr Gove was a “first-team player, player-coach, coach, summer football stalwart, football mentor to many, and football tormentor to defenders and goalkeepers aplenty.”
He was described as an honest, straight-up bloke, a good guy, a handy footballer and someone who had “plenty of time for others and gave it freely.”
Albany United said Mr Gove was “an all-round great guy that definitely lit up the room regardless of whether or not people understood what he was saying”.
A spokesman said: “When not scoring the most ludicrous goals against people sometimes less than half his age, Govey was always eager to share his knowledge of the beautiful game and, for this, we are truly thankful.
“Govey was an inspiration to a great number of our members and, whilst we can’t replace the legend, we’ll always remember him.”
Born at Charleton Maternity Home, Montrose, in 1959, Mr Gove grew up in Hillside, attending the local primary school and Montrose Academy.
He worked for Sea Oil Services in Montrose, Prudential Assurance and the Royal Bank of Scotland as a financial adviser before moving to New Zealand in 2000.
Mr Gove had never visited New Zealand before emigrating but settled instantly in the Whangaparaoa peninsula, just north of Auckland.
He worked as a senior financial adviser with ANZ Bank on his arrival, before moving to Westpac New Zealand Limited in 2011.
Mr Gove married Fiona in 1979 and together they had four children, Kelvin, 35, Daryl, 33, Jordan, 31 and Lara, 28.
He was also an energetic grandfather with Lara’s children, Isla, 8, Ariel, 4, and Sawyer, 3.
The funeral will be held on Thursday at 1pm at North Harbour Chapel, Albany, Auckland, and there will also be a live webcast, details of which can be sought by contacting stephencgove@gmail.com.