Ex-Stags star Fitzsimons dead

Former Mansfield Town star Arthur Fitzsimons yesterday died at the age of 88.

A Republic of Ireland international legend, he played 62 times in all competitions for the Stags between 1959 and 1961, scoring 25 goals.

Fitzsimons was a talented inside forward who made 26 appearances for his country, scoring seven goals, and was inducted into the FA of Ireland Hall of Fame in 2009.

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He started his career with Shelborne in his home city of Dublin, before spending 10 years at Middlesbrough, where he was a team-mate of Brian Clough and Wilf Mannion, making 223 appearances and scoring 49 goals.

After a short spell at Lincoln City he joined the Stags, then completed his playing career with spells at Wisbech, Drogheda and Crusaders.

He embarked on a coaching career that took him to Libya, where he spent five and a half years in Tripoli until Colonel Gaddafi came to power, when he was advised to leave and completed his career back in Ireland.