TRIBUTES have been paid to Island glazer Neil Shimmin after his sudden death earlier this week.

Neil, who ran Neil Shimmin Glazing Systems Ltd, died on Monday following a heart attack. He was 53.

Here his friend Bill Dale shares his memories of Neil describing him as a "piece of Isle of Man history".

Bill said: "I was sports editor for the old Green Final section of the Manx Star when the name Neil Shimmin first arrived on my desk. He had dominated the inter-schools football final scoring four or five goals for Castle Rushen as they defeated Douglas High School.

"It was only a few weeks later that Neil Shimmin's name cropped up again, this time as the outstanding player in Rushen's Cowell Cup side. He was just starting to get a chance in the first team and for the next 30 years his name made headlines in pretty much every edition of all the Island's newspapers.

"His skills as a teenager were also spotted by scouts from Burnley FC and then Liverpool FC who took him for trials on Merseyside before he was offered a position on the club's coaching course. I asked Neil about this a number of times but, with typical reticence, he didn't go into much detail. His coaching sessions included playing alongside established stars such as Emlyn Hughes and Tommy Smith - so he was clearly thought good enough to be training amongst the club's greatest players.

"But being away from the Isle of Man as a 15 year old, and lodging in a guest house amongst strangers, in 1970s Liverpool was not for Neil and he returned home and settled for a football career with Rushen United.

"Seeing how he matured as a player I'm certain that Neil could have been one of the stars of the Liverpool side that went on to make football history in the mid to late 1970s in the league and Europe.

"He had a fantastic attitude that very few football strikers show today - tenacity, tackling back, superb fitness, desire and sheer bravery. His record of achievement in Manx football is amazing. He made 850 appearances for Rushen winning the League seven times, the Railway Cup nine time and the FA Cup twice to name but a few.

"His personal football record is also formidable. Apart from being Rushen's all time top goalscorer, he was named player of the match in a number of cup finals and in the 1984-85 season was twice named Isle of Man Footballer of the Year - an award which many saw as long overdue.

"The number of times he pulled a goal out of nowhere to win games and cup matches is the stuff of legend at Rushen United and the enjoyment he and his striking partner and good friend Gareth Jones brought to the Rushen supporters is still talked about today.

"In his first three seasons there is not a comprehensive record but Neil Shimmin scored at least 751 goals from the records available. From 1974 to 1989 he scored over 30 goals a season except for 1975. From 1984 to 1988 he scored over 40 goals every season. His best season was 1978-79 when he scored 52 goals.

"And I count myself very fortunate to have been able to play alongside Neil in the veteran's 'Wrinklies' team, which I persuaded him to join, along with fellow Rushen greats Gareth Jones, Eric Nelson, John Horbury, Chris Oates, Steve Riding and Steph Lowe.

"To experience playing alongside Neil Shimmin made you realise that he wasn't just a man who scored hundreds of goals. He worked harder than anyone else in the side - creating goals, tackling back, taking hits where no one else would dare to go, unselfishly covering for his team mates, so often scoring the crucial match-winning goal and wryly giving you stick when you made a mistake!

"Is any other player in living memory held in more respect? It's difficult to say but probably not.

"But it would be wrong to just recount Neil Shimmin's life in terms of football success alone. Yes football was one of the main focal points of his life but Neil Shimmin the man was a private person, quietly spoken, but also a strong personality - never one to over-react, never one to seek attention.

"His working life also made him many friends. His glazing and construction business flourished and is highly respected and successful. Neil's working life reflected the man - he was reliable, hard working, honest and trustworthy. He leaves two legacies - Neil Shimmin the footballer and Neil Shimmin the man.

"More than all he was a very decent man. I've never heard anyone say a bad word about him. Who will forget his personal generosity, the generosity of his time to stop and talk, his wry smile and his dry sense of humour delivered with perfect timing?

"To pass away at 53 years of age is, of course, far too young. But 'Shim' - as his friends always knew him - was a man who had a sort of fatalistic approach to life. He intended to enjoy life to the full - and he did. And when we meet him in the after-life maybe he might agree that he should have slowed down a bit in the last few years.

"His second sporting love was undoubtedly golf and there's no doubt he would love to have been as good at golf as he was at football. After his football career was halted through age and injury, he turned to the fairways and greens at Port St Mary and really enjoyed the game. 

"He had his 'golfing moments' but there's no way you could include Neil Shimmin and Tiger Woods in the same sentence in the same way that you could compare him to Ian Rush. Sorry Shim - but you know what I mean!

"He was a very popular and much-liked member of Port St Mary Golf Club and was the captian in 2006-07, the secretary in 2008 and played in the Scratch League B team, getting his handicap down to single figures - something I know he was personally proud to quietly achieve. The club's flag flew at half mast on Tuesday as a mark of warm respect.

"So when you look back at the life of Neil Shimmin what does it all mean? One thing stands out for me. Why do we wait for someone to leave us before we all say how much we love and respect them? Neil should have been properly honoured for his incredible lifetime of outstanding football achievements long before the events of last Monday night.

"Many others in life should know how we feel about them right now and not leave words such as these until after they have gone. Tribute evenings for the outstanding people that we meet in all walks of life should be a much more regular occurrence in the Isle of Man.

"Neil, I know, would have been quite humbled and probably surprised by such a suggestion. But we who admired him on the football pitch and knew the man all understand exactly what the fuss was about. He was an exceptional footballer, a thoroughly decent human being and he has left a million memories for us all to enjoy for ever.

"Rest in peace Shim - we’ll see you again one day. Life is short but in your time on earth you lived it to the full and you made a lot of people very happy. You made a unique, outstanding and very special impact on this part of the world which will never be forgotten and has gone down in the history books.

"You'll no doubt, in the after-life, give me some stick for saying this - but you are a piece of Isle of Man history, even if you didn't realise it yourself."