I was sorry to hear about the death of Ron Powell on February 27.

Ron was secretary of Whitehawk FC for many years and did more than anybody to put the club on the map.

He persuaded me to play for them when they were in the Brighton & Hove league, when I had already agreed to play for Shoreham FC in the Sussex County League.

We won the Sussex Senior Cup in 1951 and were the only team to win the Sussex Juniors, Intermediate and Senior Cups in consecutive seasons.

All the players were from Brighton and the majority lived in Whitehawk.

We all knew one another and this is why we had such a good team spirit.

Whitehawk FC was one of the smartest teams at that time, too. This was because Ron Powell's wife, Ivy, washed and ironed all the shirts, shorts and socks.

-Alf Godfree, St Leonards