Tributes to Chelsea's Hutchinson

Born in Derby, the son of a foundry worker, Hutchinson joined Chelsea from Cambridge United in July 1968 for a giveaway fee of £2,500. This doubled after 12 first-team games.

A brave, forceful striker, Hutchinson always wanted to be in the thick of the action and he saw plenty of that at a time when Leeds Liverpool and Arsenal were the dominant forces in the domestic game.

He will always be remembered for his role in the 1970 FA Cup Final when Chelsea faced Leeds United, one of their bitterest rivals at the time. Under Dave Sexton, Chelsea had created a reputation for good quality attacking football while Leeds, under Don Revie, were, initially at least, known for discipline and organisation rather than flair.

Hutchinson scored the second equaliser against Leeds, forcing what was to become a classic final replay at Old Trafford. Hutchinson's long throw-in supplied David Webb with the chance to head the winning goal in the replay. It was a moment in Chelsea history that has never been equalled.

Hutchinson became famous for his trademark long throw which was once measured at 112 feet and was, of course, widely imitated. The long throw into the opposing penalty area is an integral part of the modern game and Hutchinson played a role establishing its effectiveness.

Sadly, his career at Chelsea was curtailed by a success of knee injuries. He played twice for the England Under-23 side and came close to the senior team but whenever he hit a rich vein a form it was suddenly halted by injury.

"In the end I was taking painkillers before every match because I wanted to play so much," he once told me. "I can remember taking eight tablets a day just to keep the fluid off my knee. I can also remember having a cortisone injection in my hip before the Wembley final to help me get through the 90 minutes."

The legacy of his football career became painfully obvious. He had a total of 13 knee operation and the constant use of pain killers damaged his stomach

He finally retired in 1976 after playing a few games in non-League football for Dartford. He spent three years as Chelsea's commercial manager and later ran a pub with Osgood in Windsor.

He became a cordon bleu chef, married three times - he leaves a son, Ben, - - but could rarely hold down a job.