Mike Pejic Honors Former Teammate George Eastham Following His Death

Mike Pejic, a former left-back for Stoke City, has offered a tribute to his erstwhile teammate George Eastham, whose passing was reported last week. Pejic and Eastham were teammates at Stoke City from 1968 to 1973. Eastham became a member of the Potters’ squad soon after the 1966 World Cup. Pejic, having advanced from the club’s youth academy, joined the Stoke team two years subsequent to Eastham’s arrival. Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Pejic stated, “It just took me back really and I shed a few tears.” Pejic further remarked, “He was a great player, great to be associated with and you talk about legends, he is a legend for what he’s done for football.” He also characterized Eastham by saying, “He was quiet and got on with his job but he was always available on the pitch, ready to receive the ball in any position, and his hard work, his stamina, was second to none.” Eastham earned 19 caps for England between 1963 and 1966, scoring two goals, during Alf Ramsey’s tenure as manager. He was subsequently presented with a World Cup winner’s medal in 2009, a result of a campaign advocating for all members of the 1966 squad to be recognized. Pejic commented, “He was a former England international in the World Cup squad with Banksy [Gordon Banks] in ’66 – you don’t have to say any more than that really.” He continued, “In that period of time there was some great players and he was one of them.” Pejic also expressed his surprise regarding Eastham’s transfer, stating, “How Waddo [then Stoke City manager Tony Waddington] ended up getting him from Arsenal, I’ll never know.” The two players were part of the team that secured victory in the 1972 League Cup final at Wembley, attended by more than 97,000 spectators, defeating Chelsea. Eastham scored the decisive goal, a moment Pejic recalls with affection. Describing the winning goal, Pejic recounted, “The actual move for the winning goal, him and [Peter] Dobing picked up the ball between them at the edge of our own penalty area.” He added, “Then the pair ended up on the edge of their six-yard box and George was the one that poked home the winning goal – you have to watch it!” Furthermore, Eastham played a role in a 1963 court case that significantly enhanced players’ ability to transfer between clubs, leading to a substantial overhaul of the British transfer market. A decade later, he was recognized with an OBE for his contributions to football. Pejic concluded by stating, “As a whole, and as a footballing nation, players even now should thank him for what he did in terms of getting released from wage systems where the clubs kept you tied up with contracts.” He emphasized, “He released us from all that, so everybody needs to thank George Eastham for that.”