Liverpool FA Cup hero Byrne dies at 77

LONDON (Reuters) – Former England defender Gerry Byrne, who won two league titles with Liverpool and played with a broken collarbone when they won the FA Cup for the first time in 1965, has died aged 77, the club announced on Saturday.

Byrne made 333 appearances for Liverpool who won the league title in 1964 and 1966 and he also gained an FA Cup winners’ medal in 1965 when Liverpool beat Leeds United 2-1.

Despite breaking his collarbone in the third minute of the match in the last season before substitutes were allowed in England, he played on and made the cross for Liverpool’s first goal.

“The Liverpool-born defender was a model of consistency at left-back under Bill Shankly and a testament to his popularity was evident as 40,000 supporters were at Anfield for his testimonial in April 1970,” Liverpool said on their website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

He was a non-playing member of England’s World Cup winning squad in 1966 and was presented with a winners’ medal at Downing Street in 2009 after a change of FIFA policy. He won two England caps.

(Reporting by Mike Collett; editing by Justin Palmer)