The final epitaph should probably be reserved for Chris Chilton’s closest ally, his partner in crime and a man goalkeepers and defenders of the 1960s and 1970s will still get cold shivers about all those years on, Ken Wagstaff.
“I don’t know what I can say about him, he was just a magical man,” said Wagstaff having been by his old pal’s side in his final hours.
“I went to see him last night with his family, I can’t handle things like that, but I stayed for two hours with him, rubbing his forehead and everything.
“Trying to make Margaret (Chris' wife) and the family laugh, I could imagine him thinking ‘who’s brought that bugger here to talk to me about football’ – what can you say about him?
“His record shows, the goals he scored and the assists – there wouldn’t have been a better player.
“When I first came to Hull City he looked after me, he took me to his home – you can’t fault him in any way.”
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Ex-Hull City footballers Ken Wagstaff (right) and Chris Chilton laugh as they share memories at the KC Stadium in 2004 (Image: Hull Daily Mail)
Football may have changed immeasurably in the decades since Chilton’s career enthralled the locals of the East Riding, but one thing has remained the same throughout, and that’s the fans’ love of a bloke who works his socks off, and in his own words, it carries more weight than ever.
"I wasn’t technically the best player there’s been but I played with a lot of heart. That was important.”
Hull City’s magical man will forever be etched into the hearts of everybody associated with Hull City Association Football Club.
He was and will always remain Hull City.