Keith Alexander.

It’s five years since Keith died. I was motivated to write a few words after reading a tweet from Scott Kerr. I replied to the tweet saying I thought it did him credit that he remembered Keith. To a lot of players Keith would be just another manager along the way but there again Keith wasn’t just another manager and neither, for that matter was Scott just another player.

It’s not that Keith was a particularly successful manager although not only keeping City in the league but making the playoffs and then keeping them there or thereabouts as the great man would say certainly was an achievement that I hope gave him great pride. Judged by what has happened to the club since he left perhaps I’m being too harsh in my judgement, I certainly don’t mean to be.

I met Keith once and I also know, or used to know Matt, his son. I think Keith was at Peterborough United at the time and he was, of all things, opening a block of flats here in Boston. I asked Matt, in a jokey way if he was going to get round to introducing me which he did.

Keith said he didn’t know whether an Imp would want to talk to him. He was very humble, not at all like someone who made his living in one of the toughest professions. I was glad he said that as it enabled me to tell him that to us the fans he was a hero and a great man, that we wished him well and hoped he would get a long way in management. He didn’t as it happened but I suppose merely keeping going in the lower leagues and staying in a job as he did takes some doing.

The fact that we all remember him and his former players remember him with fondness in an uncompromising business is genuine testament that he truly was a legend.