I first remember seeing John Motson at the Hollybush in Redbourn at least 20 years ago. He lived in Harpenden at the time and was a regular there, minus his famous trademark sheepskin coat.

Being a football fan I was rather excited to come across him some years later holding court at the Crown & Sceptre at Briden’s Camp. He had moved from Harpenden to Little Gaddesden and had made the Crown & Sceptre his new local. Good business for ‘mine hosts’ Martin & Shirley because he always attracted a regular crowd of followers, me included, chatting about football. He was always very friendly even though he hardly knew any of us who would gather around him.

So it was a sad day when his weekly visits came to an end with his death earlier this year aged 77. But now there is a permanent memento of him. It’s a plaque on the wall reading John Motson, 1945 – 2023, drank here, erected by the by the regulars who got to know him so well.

Motty, as he was affectionately known, only stopped going to the pub when his health deteriorated a couple of years ago. Unable to make the journey from his new home at Little Brickhill, his final destination was The George in the village, where he came in to watch football and chat to new group of fans right up to the week he died. RIP John, a true gent.