'I was Sir Bobby Robson’s PA and he was a one-off'

Pat Godbold was PA to ex-Ipswich Town boss Sir Bobby Robson and also worked with Sir Alf Ramsey

An Ipswich Town stalwart who has just retired after 70 years at the club has said Uefa Cup-winning manager Sir Bobby Robson was a “one-off who had time for so many people”.

Pat Godbold, 89, whose grandfather regularly took his sons to watch the Tractor Boys, joined the club in 1954 after her friend recommended her for a job.

Over the course of her seven-decade career, she worked for nine managers, including 1966 World Cup-winning boss Sir Alf Ramsey.

But during an interview with BBC Suffolk’s Sarah Lilley, she spoke particularly fondly of her Sir Bobby Robson, who she worked for as a personal assistant for 36 years.

Former Ipswich Town players gathered on Thursday to wish Pat Godbold a happy retirement

Reflecting on her time at the club after her retirement party at Portman Road, she said: “Sir Bobby has to be [the best manager I worked for].

“He was just a one-off and he had time for so many people - he thought as much of his apprentices and ground staff as he did the players.

“I got on exceptionally well with all the managers but they were different in many ways and had different personalities. Kieran McKenna is also a fantastic person on and off the pitch.”

Over the years, Pat has received the League Managers Association award for service to football and been given an honorary doctorate by the University of Suffolk.

Her love of Ipswich Town blossomed when she attended her first match at Portman Road in 1946 with her father, whose own dad was also a huge Town supporter.

Pat Godbold joined Ipswich Town in 1954 before enjoying a 70-year career at Portman Road

She is now looking forward to watching the team take on “the big boys” in the Premier League in the forthcoming season.

“I am unfortunately not able to look after myself now and my mobility is poor, but the club and my friends have said they will take me,” she said.

“I will give it a try for the first match and see how things go, but I am wishing them all the best.

“The players playing today probably don’t know me but maybe in a few years’ time they might have heard of me.

“I am very proud and I have been a lucky lady.”