Former Carlisle United captain Bill Green, who made history by scoring the Blues' first-ever goal in England's top division, has died.

It was announced tonight that Green, 66, had passed away after a short illness.

The former centre-half had been working as senior recruitment officer at Southampton FC.

He went down in Brunton Park folkore by leading United into the old First Division for the only season in their history in 1974/5.

And he claimed a unique place in the club's history by scoring the opening goal in their 2-0 victory at Chelsea in that season's first game.

United tonight paid tribute to Green.

Chairman Andrew Jenkins said in a statement: “The only way to describe Bill is as a perfect gentleman. He became friends with everyone he met because he genuinely had time for them.

“We brought him over from Hartlepool as a raw centre half because it was obvious to us that he had real potential. He quickly blossomed to become a solid and dependable Division One player and it was no surprise that we had clubs like West Ham watching him whenever he played.

“We actually did our best to hang on to him, turning down an offer of over £150,000 from West Ham at one point, but they eventually got their man when we were relegated out of the top division.

“Bill loved it here but, like any player, he wanted to play at the highest level possible and we completely understood that.

“He kept in touch over the years and it was fascinating to hear from him when he was jetting off on international scouting trips for Southampton. He always shared information with us on players he felt would interest us and that’s something else we appreciated very much.

“Bill is a very big loss for football and for those who knew and loved him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.”

Green, from Newcastle, made 119 appearances for the Cumbrians after joining from Hartlepool for £15,000 in 1973.

His first season for the club resulted in Carlisle dramatically gaining promotion to the top flight.

He was an ever-present in their Division One season, which saw Carlisle briefly top of the entire league in August 1974, before joining West Ham in 1976.

He also played for Peterborough, Chesterfield and Doncaster, before going on to manage Scunthorpe in the early 1990s.

He later carved out a reputation as a highly-respected scout, which included spells at Wigan, Derby, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday, where he had a short stint as caretaker manager in 2002.

He had been at the forefront of Southampton's scouting staff since 2011.

The Saints also paid tribute to Green, saying they were "deeply saddened" by the news.

In a statement they added: "Bill worked for Saints across two spells, most recently for the past six years, having a hugely successful influence.

"During that time, he fulfilled the role of Senior Recruitment Officer, which is commonly referred to across football circles as chief scout, playing a hugely significant part in Southampton’s scouting and recruitment activity.

"Bill was enormously respected not only at Saints, but across the entire football community, where he is a legendary figure in scouting for the exceptional quality of his work, his values, standards and also his warm personality.

"Southampton Football Club extends its sincerest condolences to all of Bill’s friends and family at this time."