A BLUE plaque has been unveiled to remember the former Bristol City and England footballer, John Atyeo, at the Dilton Marsh residence where he lived.
The plaque was organised by the Dilton Marsh local history society and installed on the family house where John spent most of his 61 years.
This was followed by a talk at Dilton Memorial Hall headed up by author Tom Hopegood. Tom has written extensively about John and his playing career with Bristol City and England, as well as his experiences as a teacher in both Kingdown School and Matravers School in his book, ‘The Hero Next Door’.
The prolific striker found the net 351 times in under 600 appearances for The Robins and even managed to finish as the league’s top goal scorer after scoring 30 times in the 1955/56 season.
While at Bristol City, John turned down big money offers from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and even international giants AC Milan to play in the area that he loved.
He became City’s all-time leading goal scorer and earned himself permanent status as a Bristol City hero when he became immortalised in bronze. The statue stands proud outside Ashton Gate Stadium as a reminder for up-and-coming players of the standard that has been set.
John also collected six England caps before he becoming part-time in order to prepare for life outside of football. After football, John became a maths teacher at Kingdown School in Warminster before eventually becoming deputy headteacher. He died in Warminster in June 1993, aged 61. The blue plaque is a permanent reminder that Dilton Marsh was home to a football legend.
