First noticed in Chesterfield's unexpected progress to the FA Youth Cup Final in 1956, the goalkeeping genius inevitably dubbed 'Banks of England' was, only a decade later, a national hero for his significant role in his country's World Cup win. Still a raw youngster when Matt Gillies signed him for £7,000 after only 23 League games for the Spireites, Gordon developed quickly at Filbert Street, basing his game on an uncanny sense of positioning and an acute appreciation of the value of solidity over the gratuitously spectacular, yet engendering supreme confidence amongst his defenders that he could call on superb reflexes and agility when required.

Gordon's second Cup Final appearance for City in 1963 was the occasion of a very shaky performance, but he'd already broken Liverpool hearts almost single-handedly in the semi-final to book City's Wembley ticket, and had also by then won the first of his 73 full England caps (37 earned while under City's books) to add to two Under-23 and four Football League selections. The rise to contention of Peter Shilton spelt a controversially premature end to Gordon's Leicester career, and when West Ham dropped their promised option on his transfer (honorably - they had in the interim committed to buy Kilmarnock's Bobby Ferguson), he moved to Stoke for £50,000.

His England career peaked again during the 1970 World Cup, when a reflex save from Pele's header became probably TV's most re-run piece of goalkeeping action ever, and the civil honour of an OBE followed. At club level, Gordon inspired Stoke to their first-ever trophy, the League Cup (repeating his major City success for the team he'd helped beat in 1964), and earned himself the accolade of 1972 Footballer of the Year, but his world was shattered that October when a car crash cost him the sight of one eye.

Gordon, who returned to Filbert Street in 1986 as chairman of the club's short-lived 'Lifeline' fund-raising operation and has subsequently been involved in the corporate hospitality business, was the beneficiary of a well-attended testimonial game at Filbert Street in April 1995, and a suite in the west stand of the Walkers Stadium bears his name.

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