A former regional press sports editor who went on to Fleet Street has written a book about legendary footballer Bobby Moore to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.

Norman Giller was sports editor at the Stratford Express when he first met Moore, who was a 16-year-old apprentice at West Ham United, and they remained friends since then as the defender rose to the top of English football.

The journalist has now published Bobby Moore: The Master and any profits from the book will go towards the Bobby Moore Fund, which was set up by his widow Stephanie to raise funds for research into bowel cancer.

Norman started out in journalism as a copy boy with the London Evening News, before joining the Stratford Express and later working for Boxing News, the London Evening Standard, the Daily Herald and the Daily Express.

Since 1974, he has been freelancing and has been involved in the creation of a number of television shows and sports-based DVDs, while also writing 94 books.

Writing about the Bobby Moore book on his website, he wrote: “I was close to him at the summertime peak of his career in my role as a Fleet Street writer throughout Bobby’s climb to football’s mountain top as winning 1966 World Cup captain.

“And I had the good fortune to be right in on the start of the Bobby Moore story. I was sports editor of the local West Ham paper when Bobby was a 16-year-old groundstaff boy, and featured him in a series called The Apprentice before anybody had heard of him (and long before the Alan Sugar programme!). We remained life-long friends.

“I have another (harrowing) link with Bobby. I have (so far) survived after undergoing a 2007 tumour-removing bowel cancer operation, benefitting from the research financed by proceeds from the phenomenal Bobby Moore Fund.

“Now I want to put something back, and ask you to help me support a great cause.”

The book is available by clicking here.