A statue of one of Cumbria's all-time greatest footballers will be unveiled at the club he graced later this month.

A bronze likeness of Carlisle star Kevin Beattie will be revealed at aspecial ceremony at Ipswich Town on December 18.

The statue is being built following a major fundraising campaign by fans.

It will commemorate the boy from Botcherby who went on to become Ipswich's greatest player.

The ceremony is being held at Ipswich's Portman Road stadium on what would have been Beattie's 68th birthday. The former England international died in September 2018.

Ipswich have confirmed details of the unveiling on their club website, as finishing touches are applied to the statue, which has been made by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn.

The ceremony will take place between 9.30am and 11am, with the actual unveiling of the statue expected at around 10.15am.

It will happen before Ipswich's home game against Sunderland that day.

The Suffolk club say members of Beattie's family, former team-mates, sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, and those who have helped make the project happen, have been invited to attend.

Supporters have also been invited to witness the unveiling with Ipswich opening their fan zone at an earlier than normal time.

"Beattie will stand in Portman Road, diagonally opposite Planet Blue, on land provided by Ipswich Borough Council," the club added.

"The council has commissioned the statue, and has played a key role in bringing the project to fruition, with funding supplied through the campaign."

Beattie joined Ipswich at 15 and went on to be consistently voted by fans as the club's best all-time player.

He was described by the great Sir Bobby Robson as the best defnsive player England has ever produced, with ex-England captain Terry Butcher describing the Cumbrian as his hero.

He made 296 appearances for the club, scoring 32 goals, and won the FA Cup with Ipswich in 1978.

Injuries restricted him to just nine England caps and denied him the chance to play in Ipswich's UEFA Cup final victory in 1978 - but he received a medal many years later following a campaign.