Football: Jackie Blanchflower dies at the age of 65

JACKIE BLANCHFLOWER, a survivor of the Munich air crash that killed eight fellow Manchester United players, has died at 65 after a long battle against cancer.

The Belfast-born centre-half, younger brother of the Tottenham Double- winning captain, Danny, won 12 Northern Ireland caps. He made his international debut in 1954, but his career was cut short by the 1958 disaster, when United's plane crashed on take-off. He retired a year later and became an accountant.

His fellow Busby Babe, Bill Foulkes, who last saw Blanchflower at the Munich memorial match at Old Trafford two weeks ago, said: "Jackie was a brilliant footballer, capable of filling in for Duncan Edwards in midfield and Tommy Taylor in attack. His rib cage was badly damaged at Munich and he never played again.

"Jackie was a fun-loving character, a little bit more outgoing than his brother Danny," he added. "He was a first-class man and footballer. He will be sadly missed."