TALK to anyone of a certain Bradford Northern vintage about Stuart Gallacher and the soundbites are all the same.

“Tough, uncompromising… a quality player and a quality person.”

The former Northern forward died at the age of 68 on Sunday but will be remembered with great fondness in Bradford and indeed Keighley too.

After playing almost 200 games for Llanelli, winning one Wales cap against France in 1970, Gallacher switched codes and spent five years with Northern and then moved to Keighley.

Simon Foster, son of Northern legend Trevor Foster, said: “My own memories of Stuart are of a very strong and big-hearted back row/loose forward with good hands and a useful turn of speed.

“He was and tall and rangy but he could break the line and he scored a few tries for a big man.

“Off the field, he was quiet and unassuming but on it, he was not someone to mess with.

“He was a loyal club man who often spoke of his home in Wales with my father but settled very well in the West Riding.

“He was always proud of his one Welsh RU cap and his four Wales RL caps.”

Simon tells a nice story about visits to Gallacher’s native South Wales with his father.

He adds: “Stuart got on well with my dad and whenever I took him down to South Wales we would call at his carpet shop on Llanelli high street.

“Stuart insisted dad take a carpet back north with us! He was jovial and warm hearted – he loved his days in rugby league.

“He came north with Brian Butler (Llanelli) who played at prop in same pack for Northern, they both played many games in a season and were both reliable and able packmen.”