Ex-footballer, 46, loses his battle with cancer

Ablett lost his 16-month battle against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Sunday.

Former team-mates have spoken of their sadness at his death with Paul Walsh, who played alongside Ablett at Liverpool in the 1980s, describing the news as “absolutely tragic”.

“I’m absolutely stunned at the news. He was a hell of a nice person. He was a top lad,” he said.

“He didn’t do anything fancy but was a great pro who trained hard with a great attitude to everything he did.

“There was also a steely determination about Gary. You don’t get in the Liverpool team and come through the ranks at Liverpool and play 100 times for them if you haven’t got that little bit of steel.”

Ablett, the only player to win the FA Cup with both Merseyside clubs, also went on to play for Birmingham, Wycombe, Blackpool and the American side Long Island Rough Riders before turning to coaching.

He spent some time with Everton’s youth set-up before replacing Paco Herrera as the coach of Liverpool reserves, where he won both the Premier Reserve League North and also the national title in 2008.

Ablett left Liverpool a year later and was appointed Stockport manager when the club was in administration. He left after a season following a change of ownership He was not long into a coaching stint at Ipswich when he was diagnosed with the disease in the summer of 2010.