The Foxes Trust were recently informed that we had lost one of our members to the Covid 19 pandemic, the board were touched by the memories shared by his son, who has given his permission to share those thoughts with fellow Leicester fans via our website as a tribute to his father.
“I am writing to inform you of the death of my father, Phil Brown.
Dad died in Leicester General Hospital on the 27th June, aged 81, after being admitted for treatment of prostate cancer and subsequently contracting Covid.
Dad first watched Leicester City in 1955. He lived in Corby and would travel to Filbert Street for home matches throughout the 1960s, often taking my Mum’s younger brother, Roger, with him. He would love to tell me about Chopper Chalmers, Sjoberg and Davie Gibson. My Uncle remembers being with Dad as part of the huge crowd packed into Filbert Street hours before kick-off against Tottenham in 1963, as well as Keyworth and Law scoring hat tricks in a thriller versus United the same season. The 5-4 game against West Ham after the 1966 World Cup win when the crowd applauded Banks, Moore, Peters and Hurst was another fond memory.
He took me to my first match in 1977 when I was seven years old. Leicester City 1 Everton 5. The McClintock relegation season. Over the next few years we became regulars to the extent that he invested in season tickets for us both from 1983. We sat side by side until the end of the 2018-19 season, when he felt travelling to and from the ground to his home in Kirby Muxloe became too much for him.
Together we experienced the many highs and lows of being a Leicester City supporter: Andy Peake’s long ranger against Liverpool; the Shrewsbury FA Cup match followed by disappointment at Villa Park; promotion under Gordon Milne; Tony James against Oxford; Coatsworth’s netbuster; Walshie against the Rams; Claridge’s shinner and Hillsborough winner; annual Wembley visits; Joey from the halfway line; the many managers of Mandaric; Fryatt on fire; Howard’s bullet against Leeds and then promotion back to the Premier League.
Dad didn’t think it could get much better than that promotion season; then we beat United 5 – 3 and pulled off the great escape before…enter Claudio; Vardy’s goal record; Mahrez and Kante! Dad would chuckle and look at me whenever Kante nicked the ball away from another unknowing opponent. The day Captain Morgan lifted the trophy was so emotional. Dad couldn’t believe what Leicester City had achieved.
He continued to follow City on Radio Leicester as he had done for away matches over the years and finally invested in Sky Sports. My last conversation with him was during the Brentford FA Cup tie. Dad was heavily sedated and finding it hard to stay awake but he managed to ring me from his hospital bed to ask me how the game was going. As we chatted Leicester won a penalty which Youri Tielemans scored. I have many memories of my Dad, an awful lot of which involve sport and even more of which involve Leicester City. Following City gave my Dad enormous pleasure and I know he appreciated having a call from someone at the club over lockdown to see how he was. It seems only right that my last interaction with him was to describe a goal and chat about the boys in blue.
At his funeral Dad will leave us to the sound of Andrea Bocelli, I can’t think of anything more fitting.
Steve Brown”