Telegraph sports writer dies at 51

Peter, who had covered Blackburn Rovers for the Evening Telegraph for almost 20 years, collapsed and died suddenly at his home in Great Harwood yesterday. Peter, who would have been 52 on Wednesday, had been receiving treatment for cancer.

Many of the footballers and managers Peter had worked with during his coverage of Rovers' rise from a penniless Third Division club to Premier League champions today remembered him both as a trusted journalist and a friend.

Colin Hendry described Peter as the only journalist he could tell "what was in my heart" and Alan Shearer said he was "brilliant to deal with."

Peter was brought up in Great Harwood and attended St Mary's College, Blackburn. After a brief spell teaching English in Italy he returned to East Lancashire and began his career in journalism at the former Blackburn Times.

His passion for sport soon saw him covering it for the paper under the guiding hand of sports editor William Westall whom Peter regarded as his mentor.

Peter left the Blackburn Times to join the Lancashire Evening Post where he covered Blackburn Rovers before joining the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. During his time covering Rovers he built good relationships with a succession of managers including Howard Kendall, Bob Saxton, Don Mackay, Kenny Dalglish and Tony Parkes.

In addition to his coverage for the paper Peter was a regular contributor to the Rovers' programme for many years.

As well as a passionate Rovers fan Peter was also a life-long fan of Great Harwood and formerly played in the Accrington and District Combination with Brantfell. Peter was a member of Rishton Cricket Club where he was also a founder member of the social club's golf society. He was also a former member of Blackburn and Rishton golf clubs. Peter leaves a widow Val and brother Paul.

Lancashire Evening Telegraph editor Peter Butterfield: "Peter will be sadly missed by all his colleagues who were also his friends.

"He will be mourned by sports people throughout East Lancashire and the country.

"He was highly respected and a true professional. He cared about East Lancashire sport and all who knew him cared about him."

Colin Hendry said: "In the media world, he was the one person I could tell what was in my heart.

"It takes years and years to build up a relationship with somebody you can put your trust in. He knew me inside out as a person.

"The last two or three years haven't been as smooth as my time at Blackburn and there was a couple of times I picked the phone up because I knew he would understand.

"Pete wrote it as he saw it yet wasn't overly critical.

"He would tell me if I'd had a stinker and give me four out of 10. In the cold light of day he would probably have been right.

"And he often instigated things for the benefit of the club. He will be sorely missed as part of the heritage of Blackburn Rovers."

Alan Shearer said: "Peter was a Rovers fan through and through.

"He was brilliant to deal with and all the lads got on with him extremely well.

"I had a great relationship with him and I was shocked to hear the news." Rovers chairman Robert Coar said: "I first met Peter 30 years ago when I was playing cricket for Rishton and he was working on the Blackburn Times.

"He was a sports fanatic and his knowledge of both local and national football and cricket was phenomenal.

"Apart from his factual reporting, he always had the ability to see the broader picture. Like all good journalists, he was fair in all that he wrote and said.

"He was a 'true blue' and lucky enough to be paid for the job he would probably have done for nothing."

Former Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish said: "His work was a labour of love. He was a supporter as well as a journalist.

"He was delighted when we got into the Premiership through the play-offs and enjoyed winning the title as much as anyone in the stands.

"But if we didn't play well, he would say it and that's acceptable because it was never personal.

"Pete was a very easy person to talk to and someone you could trust.

"It's terrible for his family but it's also a blow for Blackburn Rovers because a club needs a local journalist like that."

Chief executive John Williams said: "Peter was a friend. He has the rare ability to combine objective in-depth journalism with a passion for Blackburn Rovers.

"In my experience, he never compromised either. I'll miss him."

Local journalist Paul Agnew said: "I first met him when we worked together on the Blackburn Times in 1974.

"We forged an instant bond and I counted Pete amongst my closest friends and had great respect for his journalism. 'You could always trust him to give it to you straight, be honest and get it right. East Lancashire sporting circles will not be the same."

Championship-winning skipper Tim Sherwood, now at Spurs, said: "He was a genuinely nice guy. You were always confident that what he was going to write was in the best interests of Blackburn Rovers and the players. He was not one of those reporters who would twist what you were saying.

"Players who have been at other big clubs will know that you can't always trust the local reporters like you could trust Pete.

"It says a lot that I don't really speak to the media unless I get paid -- and Peter certainly never paid me anything!"

Burnley manager Stan Ternent said: "I dealt with Peter from time to time and found him a gentleman.

"I enjoyed working with him and he was a person you could take into your confidence."

Derek Fazackerley said: "I've known him since the very, very early days and he obviously went through both the good times and the bad with Blackburn Rovers but always managed to retain his sense of perspective throughout.

"He was a fanatical Rovers fan but he never let that get in the way of doing his job.

"I always found him very trustworthy and easy to get on with.

"If you asked him not to print something then he wouldn't and he had the trust of everybody he came into contact with." Jason Wilcox, a member of Rovers championship winning side and now with Leeds United, said: "It's difficult to put it into words how much I thought of Pete.

"He was always a really honest man and not just the local reporter.

"Players don't tend to get close to journalists but Peter was the closest person I ever got to know.

"I remember seeing him on holiday in Cyprus a couple of years ago and he was so down to earth with me.

"On a professional basis he did a great job for Blackburn.

"He always wanted the best for the club and he was a great bloke to boot."

Lee Carsley, Rovers' current skipper, said: "I've only knew Pete about a year but you couldn't have met a more honest bloke.

"He was definitely one of the best reporters I've ever worked with.

"I remember missing that penalty against Wolves and he came up to me after the game telling me how I should have taken it.

"But he did that because he cared and it's not often you get journalists encouraging us.

"Not much has gone right at Rovers in the last 18 months but Pete was always trying to be positive."

Scott Sellars, a former Rover now with Huddersfield, said: "Peter was always the happy face you saw down at Ewood.

"He had a dry sense of humour and the last time I was down at the club I remember having a laugh and a joke with him.

"As a reporter, I always thought he was really fair and never over critical. "He was also a true Blackburn fan at heart and he cared about the team and the players individually. He was a real gentleman."

Denis Underwood, manager of Great Harwood Football Club -- Pete's 'second' team -- said : "I've known Peter a long, long time and I always used to see him at Harwood.

"You would often hear him shouting from the stand, having a pop at a referee or an opposing player.

"But he did it because he always wanted us to win and it was great to see.

"He had a real passion for the game, no matter what the level."

Rod Simpson, chairman of Rishton Cricket Club, said: "I feel privileged as a person to have been called a friend of Peter and Val.

"Peter had many interests in sport, from international level to the local scene, and he was a tremendous supporter of local cricket and of Rishton Cricket Club.

"At the start of this season, he was the one who organised all the travel arrangements for our pre-season friendlies.

"And he had booked himself on our annual golfing trip which he was really looking forward to, even though he wasn't feeling 100 per cent.

"Everyone is devastated and his death has put a great dampener on the whole club. "It's a sad loss."

Alan Simpson, deputy editor of the Evening Telegraph, said: "I first met Pete when we both covered Great Harwood in the Northern Premier League. Later when I was sports editor we worked very closely together. There was a point in my life when I needed a good pal and Pete was that pal. The last time I chatted to him you can guess what it was about -- football!"

All those paying tribute send their best wishes to Peter's wife, Val.