SWINDON Town fans and former players have continued to pay tribute to former manager Andy King after his death yesterday.

The 58-year-old, who managed Town in two spells from 2000 to 2005, died after suffering a heart attack.

Arguably his finest signing during his time at the County Ground helm was Sam Parkin, whom he signed from Chelsea on a permanent deal in 2002 during the formative years of his career.

Despite very few goals to his name at that stage, he took off at Town and ended up scoring 68 goals in 122 starts for the club.

“Obviously, I’m incredibly shocked and saddened,” said Sam, 34. “I only saw him a month ago and I was really pleased I saw him and had that chance to catch up.

“We just picked up where we left off, as we always did. It was great to see him.

“He was the biggest influence on my career, undoubtedly. He plucked me from obscurity. I was having a difficult season at Northampton and he showed a lot of faith in me."

“I never had a crossed word with him.”

The retired centre forward said an exchange in his latter days as a player at Exeter City in the 2013/14 season summed up their relationship.

“The best way to describe our relationship is probably in my last year of playing,” he said.

“He was working at Northampton and I was playing against them with Exeter. He came over to me before the game.

“He had seen me in a previous game and told me there were a few things I could’ve done better and improved on.

“He told me that just before I was about to play his employers.

“That’s an indication of the relationship. We were very fond of each other.”

The peak of King’s career with Town came at the culmination of the 2003/04 season, when he guided the Robins to the Division Two play-offs.

The club lost to Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties, but it was a team which will long be remembered by supporters.

“I know a lot of the lads from my team are incredibly saddened. It’s been a really, really bad shock,” said Parkin.

Roger Bunce, chairman of Swindon Town Supporters’ Club, reflected on an anecdote from an away clash with Hartlepool United when asked about King.

He recalls standing in the stand behind the dugout when King was shouting at the players until his mother stood up in the terraces and told him to sit down. Which he did.

“He was brash, though that might not be the right adjective. He was a character, that’s the easiest way of putting it,” said Roger.

“He found some good players and sometimes said a bit too much, but that was him. It was his way of putting 100 per cent into everything.

“He did have a way of getting the best out of people. Sometimes he was just a bit too brash for his own good.

“Having said that, he didn’t do badly at Swindon, especially with what was going on off the pitch.

“No-one could doubt his passion and he also signed some excellent players, like Sam Parkin. He was responsible for some great players, there’s no two ways about it.

“To get as close as we did at Brighton shows he had the ability to go that far as well.”