The legacy of Gothenburg Great Neale Cooper will live on – with a permanent memorial now established nearly 300 miles away from his hometown.
Hearts were broken and emotional tributes paid across the north-east and Scotland when the former Dons midfielder unexpectedly died in May after falling down a flight of stairs in Aberdeen.
But now Hartlepool United have renamed a stand in honour of their former Aberdonian manager.
Mr Cooper managed the Monkey Hangers on two separate occasions, firstly between 2003 and 2005, before returning for a second spell in charge in 2011.
Now the north-east of England club have renamed the Mill House Stand at their Victoria Park stadium after him.
More tributes are to take place during the team’s pre-season match against Sunderland, with Mr Cooper’s two daughters making the journey to County Durham for the game.
A statement from Hartlepool United said: “The club recently announced plans to rename the Mill House Stand as the Neale Cooper Stand and an unveiling ceremony will take place before kick-off this weekend.
“Tributes will be read out, flowers will be laid in front of the stand by representatives from the club and there will then be a minute’s applause in honour of Neale who passed away at the end of May.
“We’re delighted that Neale’s daughters, Amy and Ellie, will both join us at Victoria Park as our guests for the game on Saturday.”
Hartlepool chief executive, Mark Maguire added that the renaming had been made possible due to a sponsorship deal with East Durham College.
He said: “Commercially, the fact that East Durham College have agreed to take out significant sponsorship further underpins what we hope will be a long-lasting relationship.
“We are also really grateful that EDC have accepted our request to rename the stand after Neale Cooper, whose loss has affected so many people in recent weeks.”
Mr Cooper played for Aston Villa, Rangers, Reading, Dunfermline and Ross County during an illustrious career.
He also enjoyed success and found a place in the hearts of even more fans during a managerial career that saw him take charge of Ross County and Peterhead, as well as Hartlepool and Gillingham.
Following his death, scarves and other tributes were left outside Pittodrie and a special memorial service was held in the stadium itself and attended by former team-mates including Gordon Strachan and Alex McLeish.
