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Edward unveils a plaque named after the player on the bridge

Edward unveils a plaque named after the player on the bridge

The Duke of Edinburgh has officially dedicated a bridge to a Barnsley, Manchester United and England footballer who died in the Munich air disaster.

Barnsley-born Tommy Taylor, who played in the 1950s and died aged 26, was widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his time.

Barnsley Council has called for residents to submit name suggestions for the footbridge linking Oakwell football ground to the town centre.

At a ceremony on Thursday, Prince Edward unveiled a plaque on the steps of the Tommy Taylor Memorial Bridge.

Mr Taylor was born in Smithies and worked as a teenager at Wharncliffe Colliery, where he played for Smithies United, Barnsley and then Manchester United.

In March 1953, Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby famously paid Barnsley’s tea lady Lily Wilby £1 to prevent Taylor becoming the first £30,000 player.

Soccer player Tommy Taylor holds an orange soccer ball, dressed in a red and white top, standing on a soccer field

Tommy Taylor was among eight players, three club employees, eight journalists, two crew members and two passengers who died in the crash [Getty Images]

At a ceremony on Thursday, Prince Edward was joined by about 100 people in Glass Works Square who watched the unveiling of the plaque.

Audrey Taylor, the footballer’s sister-in-law, said: “It’s important that his name lives on now.”

It was a short life he had, but now this will help him move on.

Former cricket umpire Dickie Bird OBE, who played football with Taylor as a child, recalled the player’s death leaving people “shocked and stunned”.

“He was such a good player,” he said.

“What would these Manchester United players have done in time if they had survived?

“They would have broken all previous records.”

A man stands next to the still veiled memorial plaque and looks into the cameraA man stands next to the still veiled memorial plaque and looks into the camera

Cricket umpire Dickie Bird OBE played football with Taylor as a boy [Mia Fitzpatrick/BBC]

The plane crash occurred on February 6, 1958, as Manchester United returned from a European Cup match in Belgrade.

Eight players, three club employees, eight journalists, two crew members and two passengers were killed.

Thursday’s unveiling also remembered Wombwell-born defense attorney Mark Jones, who was among the 23 victims.

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