There was a sombre soundtrack to Newcastle United’s home defeat against Everton on Boxing Day. The repeated choruses of “Pavel is a geordie” from a packed St James’ Park served as a grim reminder of Pavel Srnicek’s plight.

Shortly before Christmas the former Newcastle and Czech Republic goalkeeper, most recently a coach at Sparta Prague, suffered a cardiac arrest while out running. As he lay in a coma in an Ostrava hospital, his family played him recordings of that Tyneside choir singing his name in the increasingly forlorn hope of evoking a response.

Sadly Srnicek never woke up. He was only 47 when he died on Tuesday and the awful news prompted a wave of heartfelt tributes to one of the most popular players to have played in front of the Gallowgate End in recent decades.