Gordon Sparks gave me Plymouth Argyle, for that I can only thank him - Stephen McIlkenny

It’s amazing how people you have never met can have a profound impact on your life.

Much of my footballing memories following Plymouth Argyle have been narrated by one man, Gordon Sparks, who sadly passed away last weekend.

Having followed Argyle for much of my life, despite having never been to Devon, it was in my university days that I would sit with the Argyle Player loaded up, listening to Gordon Sparks, or Sparksy as he is better known, narrate events at Home Park or further afield. At a time of strife for the club as they entered administration, Sparksy’s ever green-tinted commentary would dominate my Saturday afternoons as I sat in my flat in Glasgow listening to Argyle battle against relegation.

Tuning into Sparksy became a ritual, regardless of where I was and what I had planned. I still recall running around my parent’s house on Boxing Day screaming in delight as Ashley Hemmings put Argyle 3-2 up against Bristol Rovers in the last minute, and many a day listening to his commentary before slinking off to the student union.

Indeed looking back now some memories of who scored, and when, are hazy, but Sparksy was the constant. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but listening to him became like listening to a friend.

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Those who knew Gordon Sparks will be devastated by his death, and my deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends and loved ones. But it is the mark of the man and his legacy that there has been such an outpouring of grief from the community following his passing.

Any life-long sports fan will have moments they remember forever. Moments that you can still picture or hear clearly, where you know exactly what you were doing at the time. I have those moments for Plymouth Argyle – and the vast majority were given to me by the commentary of Gordon Sparks. He gave those moments, as he did to every Plymouth Argyle fan, over his 30-plus years commentating.

While he may no longer be with us, his legacy will endure and his memory will live on.

Thank you for everything, Sparksy.