Fleetwood chairman Pilley: Ted Lowery will never be forgotten

Mr Lowery, who died on Friday after a short illness at the age of 87, had been a much-loved volunteer at the club for 40 years.Chairman Andy Pilley has hailed the Ted as “part of the family” and has vowed that the club will play its part in his funeral arrangements.And Town skipper Nathan Pond says the team will fight to stay up for Ted as the club gets used to being without this key figure.Pond, who joined Pilley in poignantly laying a wreath on the Highbury pitch before the 2-0 win over Northampton, wants to ensure Town honour his memory by retaining their League One status.Pilley said: “Ted was a very important person at Fleetwood football club.“Therefore when we received the sad news of his passing we knew that we had to mark the occasion with the respect and dignity that he deserved.“There was a lot of planning that went on, my feelings are collectively - the supporters, the players, the club officials and everybody that makes this club did Ted proud on Saturday.“Everybody can be proud of themselves for the send off that we gave him. From the players to winning the game and keeping a clean sheet to the supporters and I thought it was great to see the players back mingling with the supporters in Jim’s Bar afterwards raising a glass to Ted.“He was someone who I saw nearly every day, nothing was ever too much trouble for Ted.“He was someone who didn’t sit back and was waited on, he was a doer and he was someone who would constantly be making a cup of tea, even if you didn’t want one!“He was a huge part of the club and he will be sadly missed.“My lasting memory will be his smiling face and him probably bringing someone a cup of tea and just a real gentleman and someone who was part of fabric of Fleetwood Town.” Pilley confirmed the club will be heavily involved in the funeral arrangements.Pond, meanwhile, was pleased to see the reception Lowery received with an impeccably observed minute’s silence as the whole of Fleetwood mourned his loss. He said: “Everyone is gutted, you saw the reception he got, it was very emotional before the game.“There was a lot of emotion and to switch your focus to a game of football was very difficult to do.“Ted was simply a club legend and he will never be forgotten.”The club is currently in the process of making plans for the funeral, which is anticipated to take place in April.No official details have been released as of yet.It is anticipated he will be honoured in some form at the ground and Pond says he will never be forgotten.