Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club

Educated a stones throw away from Tynecastle, home of Edinburgh side Hearts, Leadbetter played for Murrayfield Athletic before joining the Royal Artillery for two years of National Service. His tour of duty took him first to Dover and then Gibraltar where he played for a Combined Services side. Back in civvies he won a Scottish Juvenile Cup medal with Hibs nursery side Edinburgh Thistle before turning professional with Armadale.

Spotted by Chelsea he moved to Stamford Bridge in 1949, but failed to make a break into the first team, and left the Londoners for Brighton & Hove Albion with just three senior appearances under his belt. He enjoyed an extended run-out on the South Coast, however, making well over a hundred appearances for the Seagulls.

His, and Town’s, big break came in 1955 when Alf Ramsey brought him to Suffolk. Originally an inside forward, Ramsey moved Leadbetter out to the left-wing, where he became a vital part of a team that over the next seven years carried all before it, winning first the Third Division South, then the Second Division title, and in 1962 the League Championship itself.

‘Sticks’, as he was nicknamed by Town fans due to his slight and non-athletic build, may have lacked pace but was blessed with exceptional vision and anticipation and could be relied upon to deliver the perfect pass to the voracious striking partnership of Ray Crawford and Ted Phillips.

After 10 years at Portman Road he moved across Suffolk to play for Eastern Counties side Sudbury Town before returning to his native Scotland. Leadbetter, who passed away on Tuesday July 18, 2006, aged 78, remains one of a handful of players to hold the distinction of winning championship medals, in the top three divisions of English football, with the same club.