Statue of footballing hero to be unveiled at start of next season

ONE of Sheffield's most admired footballing figures is to be immortalised in a statue which will be unveiled at Bramall Lane before the start of the next soccer season.

Derek Dooley is considered a giant of the game by supporters of Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday – having played for one club and been chairman of the other.

The statue has been made by artist Paul Vanstone, who has also created a sculpture depicting the Blades' hero Joe Shaw, who holds the record for most club appearances.

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Mr Vanstone, who has worked with world-famous artist Anish Kapoor, is currently putting the finishing touches to both of his pieces before they are installed outside the ground.

He said: "This has been an excellent project, but I had probably underestimated the scale of it.

"As time went on, with the statue of Joe in particular, I had to work from black and white pictures.

"I went back and did at least six remodels of the head alone, it became all consuming, but I always knew that Derek, being such a familiar personality would come easier.

"That really did fall into place very quickly."

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Mr Dooley is portrayed walking onto the pitch as Sheffield United celebrated promotion back to the Premier League in the last game of the 2005-6 season to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd.

His wife Sylvia said she had been to see Mr Vanstone in his London studio as he worked on the statue and described his work as "absolutely amazing".

Mrs Dooley added: "I've seen so many pictures of Derek over time, but nothing really compares to this. Just to see something standing there is really lovely.

"I'm so thankful to Sheffield United for this tribute – it just brings home how much of a football legend Derek was and how much he is missed. If he was here today he would have been embarrassed, but very proud at the same time."

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Mr Dooley, who died in March 2008, first found fame at Sheffield Wednesday in the 1950s but his playing career ended when his leg was amputated after he broke it on the field.

However, his involvement with football continued, and he was manager of the Owls in the early 1970s before moving to Sheffield United in a variety of roles, most recently club chairman.

Joe Shaw made 632 appearances for the Blades in a career spanning two decades. He died in November 2007 and his widow Hettie and daughter Yvonne said they had been overwhelmed by his statue.