Former Newcastle United defender Stuart Boam has died at the age of 77.

The no-nonsense centre-half appeared 69 times for the Magpies over two seasons between 1979 and 1981. Before that, he had been an outstanding player for Middlesbrough where he made 322 appearances.

A Boro statement read: “The club is deeply saddened to hear the passing of our former captain Stuart Boam following a lengthy illness.

“A centre-back by trade, Stuart's brave defending and work-rate earned him a place in the starting line-up right off the bat from signing for Middlesbrough. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Boam arrived at St James’ Park for £170,000 in August 1979 as a seasoned, respected and rugged defender after becoming a stalwart as captain of Boro’s ‘Charlton’s Champions’ of the 1973/4 season.

At Newcastle, manager Bill McGarry was wrestling with the problem of getting the Magpies back into the top flight, and was finding the solution hard to find. Big-name signings like Peter Withe and Mick Martin came though the door, and...