Joe Rayment, who played for us between 1959 and 1965, has sadly passed away.

Joe, who played as an outside right and scored 35 goals in 187 appearances, signed for us from Hartlepool in February 1959, and scored on his debut in the 5-2 home win over Barrow. He scored twice more in the next three league games to make him a crowd favourite.

He played a starring role in the League Cup run of season 1960-61, when he scored in the victories over Crystal Palace and West Ham, and scored our goal (that put us in the lead early in the game) in the 2-1 home defeat by Bolton Wanderers, when 21,023 people somehow squeezed into Feethams. (There had been 17,057 in the ground for the win over West Ham, who included future England skipper Bobby Moore).

Joe stayed with us until the end of the 1964-65 season, when he moved to Gateshead.

Joe was 84. Our sincere condolences go to his family.