PIPER: A TRUE PLAYER OF THE PEOPLE
‘A FANS’ favourite wherever he went’ – tributes have flooded in for popular playmaker Lenny Piper, who passed away this week following a long illness, at the age of just 46.
A former England schoolboy international, Piper gained started his career at Wimbledon and gained Football League experience at Gillingham before moving into Non-League with Welling United, St Albans City and Farnborough Town, where he made 80 appearances in the Conference, many alongside his brother Chris.
Following a brief stay at Margate, Piper joined Fisher Athletic from Dagenham & Redbridge in March 2004 and made 123 appearances for the club, including a spell as caretaker manager in November 2005, before latterly turning out for Beckenham Town, Ramsgate and Whyteleafe.
Tributes have poured in to salute the efforts of the aimable clubman with former managers, teammates and supporters taking to social media to honour his efforts.
Graham Westley, his former manager at Farnborough, told The NLP: “I feel privileged to have worked so closely with a special human being. He was a stunning pleasure to manage and to coach.
“Lenny was simply awesome in his time playing for me. He was a match winner who didn’t ever fail us. Winning his signature involved winning his heart and his mind. It was not about money.
“He was made of the right stuff. He was decent, polite, respectful, kind and humble. He got people off of their seats. He took your breath away.
“When my two daughters were toddlers, they named their bath duck ‘Lenny Piper’. They toddled around at the Farnborough games, but they didn’t miss out on understanding who often created their happiest Saturday nights! Our number eight. Our maestro.”