Former Watford FC player Pat Jennings in New Year's Honours

Pat Jennings joined the Hornets in 1963 after leaving his first club Newry Town in Northern Ireland.

He has been recognised for his services to Association Football and to charity.

Having made a name for himself at Watford FC, Mr Jennings then went on to earn his first senior Northern Ireland cap at the age of 18 in a British Home Championship match against Wales.

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He joined Spurs in the summer of 1964 and later moved to Arsenal.

Mr Jennings, 77, won five major trophies at club level with Tottenham and Arsenal as well as other individual awards and accolades, says the CBE is “without a doubt” the biggest and the best.

His 119 caps for Northern Ireland was a record that was only surpassed by Steven Davis in October 2020, and he represented his country at the 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals.

Pat Jennings in full flight making a save for Watford

Not bad at all for someone who says goalkeeping “wasn’t something he set out to do” growing up in Newry.

“We never had any pitches, you threw a couple of coats down or some stones and that was the goal,” he told the PA news agency.

Pat Jennings on July 1, 1978 (Image: PA)

“If you went in goal you were obviously busy, because however many there were playing were taking shots at you.

“I left school at 15 and worked at one of the local linen factories. The factory closed after 10 months or a year and I went to work in a timber gang with my dad in the mountains outside of Newry.

Pat Jennings on May 22, 1991 (Image: PA)

“My brother, who played for the Newry United team, told me the goalkeeper was going to England to look for work, and asked me: ‘Why don’t you come down to training? You might get a game.’”

Jennings did indeed get a game, and impressed enough in those initial months to earn selection for the Northern Ireland under-19 team.

“At the time I was 17 and I’d never been outside Ireland,” he said.

“I literally came off the mountain and the timber gang and 10 days later I’m playing in the final of a European junior cup against England at Wembley.”