FORMER Turf Moor reserve centre forward Bill Dodd has died at the age of 78.

Bill, one of Burnley Football Club’s legion of players from the north-east in the immediate post-war era, was born in Bedlington, Northumberland in 1936.

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He was 19-years-old and playing for Whitley Bay FC in the strong North Eastern League when he was spotted by the Burnley scouts.

He immediately signed for the Clarets and played his first Burnley game, representing the “A” team, in January 1956.

In 1956-57 he was the “A” team’s top scorer with 19 goals in the Lancashire Football League, also appearing and scoring regularly during the following campaign.

Bill left Turf Moor in the summer of 1958, joining Workington, then in Division Four of the Football League.

He later had trials at Halifax Town and played for Rossendale United in the Lancashire Combination.

A spokesperson for Burnley Football Club said: "Bill was a big man, a classic example of what used to be referred to as a bustling, old-fashioned centre forward.

"During his two full seasons at Turf Moor he also played a number of Reserve team games, notching two hat-tricks in the Central League.

"One of these was in a 5-2 victory against Blackburn Rovers Reserves in February 1958.

"In that game his team mates included some star names of the future, Alan Shackleton, Trevor Meredith, Adam Blacklaw and Brian Miller.

"The thoughts of all of us at Turf Moor are with Bill’s wife, Irene, daughter Sara and son Kevin at this sad time."