Kevin Beattie, one of the greatest Cumbrian footballers of all time, has been celebrated in song.

‘The Story of the Beat’ (‘The Beat Goes On’) is being released to mark the 50th anniversary of Beattie’s first-team debut for Ipswich Town.

The Botcherby boy is widely regarded as Ipswich’s greatest player, and there is a statue in his honour at their Portman Road ground.

Now, thanks to Ipswich-based singer/songwriter George Baker, Beattie’s impact on the Sussex club has been set to music.

It is an initiative by the Kevin Beattie Foundation, which was set up in recent years to celebrate the legacy of the Cumbrian and raise money for charities.

Malcolm Thompson, from the foundation, said he came up with the idea of asking George to write a special tribute song for Beattie after being inspired by his popular Ipswich Town song ‘Proud to Wear the Blue’.

“Knowing that The Kevin Beattie Foundation works tirelessly to raise funds for many different charitable causes, George agreed to record the song and produce the video hoping that the project might help raise awareness of the organisation and assist their fundraising efforts,” said Malcolm.

He added that the song had been “written from the heart” by a genuine Ipswich fan from the Bobby Robson era who had seen most of Kevin Beattie’s appearances.

In fact, the songwriter was actually there at Old Trafford in 1972 to see Beattie’s impressive debut game as an 18-year-old for Ipswich against a Manchester United team that included Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law.

The lyrics refer to Carlisle-born Beattie as a “young kid who stepped off a train straight into our lives.”

It says he “had nothing, just some worn-out old boots in a brown paper bag”.

Charting his remarkable rise at Portman Road, the song pays tribute to Beattie’s “unbelievable power” and “spring in his heels”.

The song will be launched at a special event organised by the foundation on Saturday, August 13 in the Novotel Ipswich.

Football legends Alan Hudson and Colin Gibson will be among those attending, with a raffle and auction to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The song and video can be previewed on the charity’s website www.kevinbeattiefoundation.co.uk and at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPIIkV66CXw

Kevin Beattie, who starred at Ipswich from 1972-81 and won nine England caps, died in 2018 aged 64.