Former Stoke defender Pejic pays tribute to George Eastham

Mike Pejic (back row, far left) played with George Eastham (front row, third from left) for Stoke City between 1968 and 1973

Former Stoke City left-back Mike Pejic has paid tribute to ex-team-mate George Eastham, whose death was announced last week.

Eastham joined the Potters shortly after the 1966 World Cup whilst Pejic broke into the Stoke side two years later after graduating from the club's youth academy.

"It just took me back really and I shed a few tears," Pejic told BBC Radio Stoke.

"He was a great player, great to be associated with and you talk about legends, he is a legend for what he's done for football.

"He was quiet and got on with his job but he was always available on the pitch, ready to receive the ball in any position, and his hard work, his stamina, was second to none."

Under Alf Ramsey, Eastham made 19 appearances for England between 1963 and 1966, scoring twice, and was eventually awarded a World Cup winners medal in 2009 following a campaign to reward all members of the 1966 squad.

"He was a former England international in the World Cup squad with Banksy [Gordon Banks] in '66 - you don't have to say any more than that really.

"In that period of time there was some great players and he was one of them.

"How Waddo [then Stoke City manager Tony Waddington] ended up getting him from Arsenal, I'll never know."

The pair won the 1972 League Cup final in front of over 97,000 people at Wembley against Chelsea, with Eastham scoring the winner - and Pejic still has fond memories of the day.

"The actual move for the winning goal, him and [Peter] Dobing picked up the ball between them at the edge of our own penalty area.

"Then the pair ended up on the edge of their six-yard box and George was the one that poked home the winning goal - you have to watch it!"

Eastham was also involved in a court case in 1963 which improved players' freedom to move between clubs in a major reform of the British transfer market and was awarded an OBE for his services to football 10 years later.

"As a whole, and as a footballing nation, players even now should thank him for what he did in terms of getting released from wage systems where the clubs kept you tied up with contracts," Pejic added.

"He released us from all that, so everybody needs to thank George Eastham for that".