STANDING well over 6ft tall, Mick Kearns was a commanding figure between the posts and throughout his varied career he always produced the goods for both club and country, appearing in 18 full internationals for the Republic of Ireland - 15 whilst at Walsall making him the club's most capped player.

Joining Oxford United on leaving school in 1966, he turned professional at the Manor Ground two years later. Staying with Oxford until July 1973 when he arrived at Fellows Park, having been on loan to Plymouth Argyle in October 1972 and Charlton Athletic in February 1973 in between.

He spent six excellent years with The Saddlers, being ever-present three seasons on the trot (1974-1977). Between August 1973 and January 1979 Walsall played a total of 293 competitive games and Kearns missed only five.

It came as a surprise to the die-hard Saddlers fans when, in July 1979, Wolves manager John Barnwell signed him as cover for Paul Bradshaw.

Three years later, in August 1982, Kearns was back at Fellows Park for his second spell - and he even came back again as a non-contract player, appearing in the last five games of 1984/85 while working as a steward at a local working men's club in Aldridge.

In 1990 he was taken on at Fellows Park as the club's Community Liaison Officer, a position he still holds today as well as part-time Walsall FC summariser for BBC WM.

In his League career he amassed 356 appearances, with 275 of them coming for Walsall.

Outside football he is an exceptionally fine golfer who won the Midland Professional Footballers Golf Championship in 1977; and in May 1992 he scooped an international record for a footballer by holing-in-one at a course in Scotland, having previously done likewise on courses in both England and Ireland.

He was a member of the Walsall side that knocked Manchester United and Newcastle United out of the FA Cup in 1974/75 and he helped The Saddlers to the League Cup semi-finals in 1983/84, although he missed the games against Liverpool after playing in all the other rounds.

An extremely well-respected figure here at the Banks's Stadium.