[spireitematt]

Phil Kirk has passed away at 59.

RIP Phil. Thoughts are with his family and friends.

[SaltergateBorn]

Not totally unexpected news, but still very sad. I hope that the club finds some meaningful way to commemorate both his passing and the contribution that both he and his brother have made to our return to EFL status. Rename a stand – or the stadium, even?

A few years ago now, I was in Málaga and was told a story about Antonio Banderas. I didn`t realize until then, but apparently he was a malagueῆo born and bred. The Mother Superior at the convent where he first went to school needed funds to renovate the building, so wrote to him asking whether he could contribute something – maybe 10,00 euros – towards the cost. She heard nothing for quite some time and forgot all about it but then got the shock of her life a month or so later when she opened the post one morning to find a colossal cheque from him. Was it 1 million euros or 10 million? I can`t remember but it was way, way more than she asked him for.

I`ve always had colossal respect for people like that who, despite whatever success they achieve in life, never forget where they came from and retain loyalty to their roots. Both of the Kirk brothers fit into that category, to my thinking – and I`m not just saying that because they`re Spireites like me. I feel exactly the same way about what Jack Hayward did for Wolves and Jack Taylor for Blackburn. In both of their cases the benefit they brought to their clubs was relatively fleeting; I just hope that in our case it proves more long-lasting and that their contribution in pulling us out of the quagmire of non-league football is not wasted or forgotten.