Gary Ablett’s funeral held in Liverpool later

17 January 2012
Last updated at 05:06 ET

The funeral of former Liverpool and Everton footballer Gary Ablett is due to be held in Liverpool later.

Ablett lost his 16-month battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on New Year’s Day. The father-of-three was 46.

The defender played more than 420 games for both Merseyside clubs and Birmingham. He later went on to manage Stockport County.

The service will be held at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral at 12:00 GMT.

Ablett joined Liverpool in 1982 as an apprentice and made his debut in 1986. He helped the club win the League title in 1988 and 1990 and the FA Cup in 1989.

‘Everyone loved him’

In January 1992, he was sold to rivals Everton for £750,000 and went on to lift the FA Cup with them three years later, becoming the only player to win the cup with both Merseyside clubs.

He also had short spells at Sheffield United, Wycombe and Blackpool. He finished his playing career at Long Island Rough Riders in the US in 2001.

He coached Everton’s youth academy and Liverpool reserve team before managing Stockport County from July 2009 and June 2010. He was coaching at Ipswich Town when he fell ill.

Footballing greats have paid tribute to Ablett, including Alan Hansen who said he was a “lovely guy and he was quite unassuming and everyone loved him”.