I was saddened to read of the death yesterday of Mat Noh, one of our legendary football greats of the 1970s (Football: 1970s Malaysia Cup star Mat Noh dies at 67, Sept 20).

Those were the glorious days in the old Kallang Stadium. Whenever there was a match between Singapore and a Malaysian state, a huge crowd would walk from Geylang to the stadium hours before it started.

When the players - Dollah Kassim, Quah Kim Song, Samad Allapitchay and S. Rajagopal among them - marched on to the field, loud applause would greet them. Each time Singapore scored, the audience would stand up in human waves and create the famous Kallang Roar.

Those legendary teams gave us much joy and excitement.

I pay tribute to Mat Noh, and offer my condolences to his family.

Jeff Tan Hong Liak