He was a phenomenal leader, the kind of man you would want in the trenches with you, ex-Forest Green boss Frank Gregan on Trevor Horsley

It was genius rather than good fortune that had been at work in those amazing days as the 'little club on the hill' went to Wembley and enjoyed back-to-back promotions in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons, winning the Southern League Southern Division and Premier Division to reach the Conference for the first time in their history

Here, ex- Forest Green boss Gregan, now living in Spain, pays a heartfelt tribute to his former chairman, who died on Monday after a long illness.

Like everyone else with a past or present connection to Forest Green Rovers I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Trevor Horsley. Legend is a word that is banded around football clubs all the time but it is rarely used in the correct context. In Trevor’s case it is fully justified, he is a legend. Forest Green Rovers would not be where they are today without the big man’s totemic efforts. He was a phenomenal leader, the kind of man you would want in the trenches with you, a real fire trench, not the proverbial one. He led by example, he never needed to threaten or coerce, everybody gave their all because they were following his lead. When something needed doing he didn’t delegate, he did it himself and the rest of us followed, inspired by his efforts.

I have so many memories of him. Some funny, some sad, some emotional and many that are not fit for publication. One of the things that made Trevor so special is that my memories are no more important than that of anybody else that worked alongside him or shared his love and passion for Forest Green Rovers. Everybody was treated equally. It didn’t matter if you were a player, a director, a supporter or the manager, everybody got the same treatment. A classic example of this was when we beat Havant and Waterlooville 3-2 at home after being 2-0 down at half time. The win saw us leapfrog Havant at the top of the table at the business end of the season. We had the party of all parties in the player’s bar afterwards. Directors, players, supporters and families all celebrating wildly together. Everybody was there, everybody except Trevor. He had banned himself from the clubhouse for two weeks for what he considered to be inappropriate behaviour. Despite our protestations he enforced the ban and trooped off home despite desperately wanting to stay.

Everyone was treated equally and that included the big man himself.

His contribution was much more than physical effort. I’m sure his fellow board members from back in the day will not mind me pointing out that he carried the financial burden of the club almost single handedly. It was unconditional fiscal backing, there was no ulterior motive, he knew there was absolutely no chance of any return on investment. His generosity ensured the club survived when it looked likely to fold and he ensured that the club enjoyed success far beyond anyone’s expectations. His reward was watching the club succeed. I remember seeing his face beaming out of the Royal Box at Wembley when I led out the team holding our mascot’s hand. Our mascot was his son Liam who was very young at the time. As the advert goes, there are somethings in life that are priceless, I’m sure Trevor considered that to be one of them.

His love of football went beyond Forest Green. England and Leeds United were his other two great loves. Very early on in our relationship we had won a home game and Leeds had been beaten. “How did Leeds get on today Trev?” I asked, full of cockiness well aware of their result. He gave me a sour look and said, “Do you not like working here?” I quickly learned that belittling Leeds was not likely to do my employment prospects any good! But his passion for Forest Green Rovers dwarfed everything else because for twenty years and beyond he gave his all to the cause. His love of the club was infectious, it brought everybody together. Everybody connected to the club, young and old, past and present will be mourning the loss of a wonderful man. But he will never be forgotten. Every time the name Forest Green Rovers is heard we should all think of him because without him the club would not be on the national stage.