Lucky enough to see the great man play many times, met him in person at the Cheadle Training ground when I used to go with some mates at half term holidays. He was very quiet compared to some of the others but always very kind when it came to complying with our interminable autograph requests, I have his to this day, "Best Wishes Colin Bell" it says.
Met him at the 1999 Gillingham match when thanks to a pal we ended up in hospitality. Chatted to Colin and his wife for some time, he hadn't changed from my childhood memories, unassuming and a real City fan. His wife was lovely and Colin talked proudly about his family and their educational attainments.
I asked him about his injured knee and his told me he was a regular squash player and that he only suffered from real stiffness in the joint but not much pain which was good to hear. I have a great photo of Colin, Neil Young and the 4 of us taken on the day.
My dad, who passed away a few years ago aged 90, always said Colin was the greatest player he had ever seen at City and said that what he loved about Colin was even when they tried to hoof him out of games he used to come back even stronger, scoring great goals even if he was limping.
Just phoned my mum, who is 91 at the weekend, to tell her the bad news, she used to go to games with my dad, me and my brother. She just came straight out with "The King" as his nickname and what sad news, "he's only a few years older than you," mothers eh.
I'll never forget him or the joy watching him play brought to me. Along with the other members of that great team he made our pride in City something fantastic.
RIP The King
