JOHN McGOVERN, the former Hartlepool United midfielder and twice a European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, has sold off some of his old honours and memorabilia.

Raised in Hartlepool, Scottish-born McGovern was Pools’ youngest ever player and was part of the 1968 promotion-winning side.

Now an ambassador at Forest, McGovern has gathered almost £12,000. The most expensive item sold at auction was the medal collected with Derby after winning the 1971/72 Football League title, which sold for £5,100.

Other items he put up for sale included his Derby County division two league title medal from 1969, a match-worn shirt and shorts from the 1971/1972 campaign, his Texaco Cup winners medal and a European Cup Ormanent celebrating the Rams' success in reaching the semi-finals in 1973.

He said: “There’s some important memorabilia there. People ask me why I’m selling them and I say listen ‘I don’t owe the bookmakers any money, I own my own house, I own my own car' – there’s no desperate reason to sell them but just hoping to have a bit more money when it gets closer to Christmas.

“It was a great honour to play for Derby and win the medals. It’s just come to a time when I’ve moved from living in Sheffield for 20 years to moving to an apartment in Nottingham and the medals I don’t have on display anyway and I thought selling them would give me a few more quid at Christmas to do some shopping.”

He won a glut of medals under Brian Clough at the City Ground, but won’t be selling off those awards.

He added: “I’ve got two grandchildren now and I’ve got two European Cup Winners Medals and I would like to hand them or the money to them.

“At the moment, the medals I won at Nottingham Forest are staying put. There’s no special reason for that either. I’m lucky enough to have won medals at both clubs.”