Former Scunthorpe Telegraph sports editor Tom Taylor has died, aged 88.

Tom, whose son Graham was the former England football manager, passed away at the weekend after being admitted to Scunthorpe General Hospital.

In the early days of his career, Tom worked as a general reporter on the Westerham Herald. He then joined the Army as a sapper in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and just before Christmas 1944 was sent out on active service to Burma.

Following his return from the war, Tom joined the Telegraph in July 1946 and became known as The Poacher as he covered Scunthorpe United’s rise to footbal league status.

Tom remained at the Telegraph until his retirement in 1983 and for many years he also wrote the Talking Sport column in the Telegraph’s sister title the Target.

When he covered Scunthorpe United games, Tom would report on the game as it happened and every 15 minutes he would telephone copy through to his office.

Paying tribute to his father, Graham said: “That was an art, which in the main has now disappeared.”

Graham also recalled how his father used to travel with the team on their coach to away games and would keep them amused on the return journey by teaming up with a then-teenage Kevin Keegan who would perch on Tom’s lap acting as the ventriloquist’s dummy.

Graham said: “As a family, we lived with someone who was well known throughout the town – and it is amazing the part he played in the community.

“People would read him, some would agree with him and others would not.

“He came to this town after the war. He was the leading sports writer in the area and here was a man who was writing about all kinds of sports. He became part of the community, and that doesn’t happen to many people.

“When you look back, you realise what part this man played in the development of the community in Scunthorpe. In 1950 Scunthorpe became a league club. That was a massive thing for Scunthorpe and I was only six at the time.

“From a family point of view, I look back and I am very confident he played a leading role over so many years in the community of Scunthorpe and, I think, for its benefit.”

Telegraph feature writer Hazel Tomlins said: “I admired him greatly as a newspaper man. He was one of the old school and a stickler for accuracy. It was a privilege to have known and worked with him.

“Our thoughts are with Tom’s family at this time.”

Tom is survived by his wife Dorothy, son Graham, daughters Margaret and Christine, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.