Former Rovers favourite dies in Highland off-road accident

Jun 10 2009 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

ALBION ROVERS chairman Frank Meade has paid tribute to former player Gordon Lennon who was killed in an accident at the weekend.

The 26-year-old died following an off-the-road vehicle crash at Brahan near Maryburgh, Dingwall on Sunday afternoon.

He was rushed to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness but passed away a short time later. Northern Constabulary have confirmed that an investigation into the cause of the accident has been launched.

Lennon, who recently captained Dumbarton to the Third Division title, was on a family break in the Highlands when the incident took place.

He leaves behind partner Kelly and five-month-old son Kai.

The central defender was a popular figure during his two-year spell with Rovers, his first senior club, between 2005 and 2007 and secured a move to full-time football with Partick Thistle following a number of good performances.

He was player-of-the-year at Cliftonhill for the 2006-07 season and is fondly remembered by Rovers supporters who have inundated fans’ messageboards to leave their tributes.

Mr Meade admitted news of Lennon’s death came as a shock and said his thoughts were with the player’s family.

He told the Advertiser: “This is a real tragedy. He was an intelligent and engaging boy and had a real future ahead of him beyond football.

“The best thing about him was that he always had a smile on his face whether we won, lost or drew. He enjoyed his football and adored his family.

“Gordon’s death will be felt by everyone at Dumbarton but also here at Rovers as we were his first senior club.

“I think he really appreciated the time he had here and had a special affection for us.”

He added: “Although Gordon left us a couple of years ago, he still saw a lot of the boys as we share training facilities at St Andrew’s High School in Coatbridge with Dumbarton.

“He always said hello whenever he came back and I can’t imagine anyone having a bad word to say about him.

“The number of tributes left by our supporters in his memory is testament to how they felt about him.

“Gordon was a really good ambassador for the club and always did things in the right way.”