FRIENDS, teammates and opponents raised a glass to popular goalkeeper Dougie Walker at a special celebration on Saturday.

The 64-year-old, of Wroughton is gravely ill at Prospect Hospice suffering from an inoperable brain tumour and friends had hoped he would join them for one last pint at the Iron Horse in Wroughton.

But sadly Dougie’s condition deteriorated to such an extent that downing a final pint with his old buddies, or even being taken to the pub, became impossible.

Instead, his mates made their way en masse from the Iron Horse to the Prospect Hospice, about 20 minutes away, to bid an emotion-choked farewell to their formidable footballing friend.

A divorced man who played rugby for Swindon in his younger days, Dougie has lived virtually all of his life in Wroughton.

For many years he was the branch manager of the Ramsbury – which later became the West of England, then the Portman – Building Society in Commercial Road, Swindon before managing its offices in Wootton Bassett from 1988 to 1993.

For the next seven years he ran a craft market at St Peter’s Church in Marlborough. It was during the late 1970s that Dougie became heavily involved in the evening six and then seven-a-side soccer leagues, first at the Oasis, then at Dorcan.

He ran the Ramsbury West of England society’s football teams, which later became the Fox & Hounds, for around 30 years.

Former team-mates, alongside those who once had the unenviable task of trying to nick a goal past him, had one message as they raised a glass at his local pub: “One Dougie Walker, there’s only one Dougie Walker.”

Print company manager Paul Bowden, 47, of Wroughton, said: “He was like a cat in goal – unbelievable. A great guy, too. He always had a spring in his step; always really cheerful.”+