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| Another superb goal by Matt Tees |
TRIBUTES have been paid to former Mariners striker Matt Tees by two of his former clubs - Charlton Athletic and Luton Town. Matt, whose funeral next Wednesday will be for family only, was as cherished at these two clubs as he was at Blundell Park. The kind words (below) are published on the official websites of the two clubs.
Luton Town historian Roger Wash writes:
Everyone at Kenilworth Road has been saddened to learn of the death of Matt Tees at the age of 81.
Johnstone (Scotland) born Matt started his football with Airdrie before accepting the chance to play in the Football League with Grimsby in 1963.
Matt formed a lethal strike partnership with another future Hatter, Rodney Green, leading to the pair of them moving to Charlton for a joint fee of £23,000 in 1967.
Luton manager Alec Stock had money to spend following the sale of Bruce Rioch in the summer of 1969, but bided his time before paying out £25,000 for Matt who he saw as the perfect partner for young forward Malcolm Macdonald.
Matt signed for Luton on 28th August 1969 at London Airport (not Heathrow in those days) at 8.30am so that club secretary Bob Readhead could get on a plane to Blackpool to ensure the player could be registered at the Football League HQ in Lytham by the 3pm deadline for the Hatters' game at Gillingham on the following Saturday.
Making his debut in a rough, both on and off the pitch, game at Priestfield which the Hatters won 2-0, Matt received a battering but seemed to relish the challenge.
He scored on his home debut the following week in a 4-0 win over Bristol Rovers, and it soon became clear that he was forging a great partnership with the young Macdonald.
Matt Tees did not look like a goalscoring striker as it often appeared that a puff of wind would blow him over.
He was, though, incredibly strong and brave and for a relatively short man, amazingly good with his head with the rare ability to hover in the air while defenders were on their way back down.
Matt played in 32 League games in that 1969/70 campaign, scoring 11 goals without which the Hatters would not have won promotion to Division Two (now the Championship), and it is certain that Malcolm Macdonald would not have gone on to greater things without the tutelage he enjoyed during the year he and Matt played together.
Matt played three games in the early part of the following season but then lost his place to Don Givens, before returning to his spiritual home of Blundell Park, where it all began for him and where he holds well deserved legendary status.
Our condolences go out to all his family and friends.
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A hugely-popular player during his time at The Valley, he signed for the club in 1966 and went on to score 33 times in 95 appearances in all competitions for the Addicks.
Known for his braveness in the box, Tees’ heading ability was second-to-none and he was a firm fan favourite for those who watched him from the terraces in SE7 during his four years representing Charlton.
Club Ambassador, Keith Peacock, paid tribute to his former teammate, saying: “He was probably the best header of the ball I’d ever seen. He wasn’t the biggest, but he had this ability to hang in the air.
“I started to play on the wing and if I got any decent ball in there, we knew we always had a chance of him scoring or creating a goal.
“He was my roommate for two years and was a lovely lad. He would chatter away in his broad Scottish accent and he was so popular with all the players and fans.
“He’s another of that excellent 1968/69 who came so close to going up and, along with Harry Gregory, Ray Treacy and Graham Moore, he will be truly missed.”
Tees was married to the sister of Addicks teammate Charlie Wright. The duo played alongside each other for Grimsby Town where Tees remains a club legend having netted 93 goals in 196 league appearances for the Mariners during two spells between 1963-67 and 1971-73.
Born in Johnstone, Scotland, he also represented Forfar Athletic, Airdrieonians, Luton Town and Boston United during his career which saw him score a total of 150 goals in 363 league appearances.
Everyone at Charlton Athletic would like to extend their condolences to Matt’s family at this difficult time.
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