Carlisle United owner Tom Piatak believes Andrew Jenkins’ incredible service to the club is unlikely to be repeated again.

The former chairman and owner, who died earlier this month, was involved with the Blues for a remarkable 64 years.

And his successor at the helm of Brunton Park, whilst paying a respectful tribute to Mr Jenkins, says the Piatak family are committed to looking after the club in the way he would have wanted.

“It was very difficult on all of us, and my sympathies go out to the family,” said Piatak, speaking about Mr Jenkins’ passing in the first week of this month.

“Andrew was a great man.

“He was the biggest supporter of this club, with 64 years of his life dedicated to it. I don’t think we’re going to see that again.”

Mr Jenkins’ funeral will be held next Thursday, with the cortege set to visit Brunton Park as well as the headquarters of his business Pioneer before the church service in Wetheral.

Piatak said the Cumbrian businessman’s care for the Blues was reflected in how he handled last year’s takeover discussions.

“From our perspective, we had a year-and-a-half of experiences with him, and just the fact he was so conscientious in the transition [of ownership] and making sure the club went to somebody he was comfortable with, it shows that to his last days, in his heart and his spirit, he wanted this club to be handled well.

“As he looked back I think he felt he made the right decision, and we’re upholding that standard.

“I enjoyed our conversations, the one-on-one conversations we had, whether it would be matchday, at half-time…we’d sit down and chat, I’d get the Bob Stokoe stories, all the stories [about United’s history] that he would tell.

“It’s tough for me to keep track of them all but he had such a history of it and a love for the game, and a love for Carlisle.

“We’re all going to miss him. Sympathies to the family and I just wish the best for them.”