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'An absolute diamond of a person': Former Leyton Orient striker Sammy Winston dies aged 44 as tributes pour in for the footballer-turned-firefighter following his passing

Former Leyton Orient striker Sammy Winston has died at the age of 44, the club has confirmed.

Winston, who started his career in Tottenham's academy and helped them reach the FA Youth Cup final before joining Norwich as a trainee, signed for Orient in the summer of 1996 and went on to make 13 appearances for the Third Division side.

After not featuring for the first team in his second season at Brisbane Road, the forward moved to conference team Yeovil in early 1998 and went on to line up for several other non-league clubs, including Sutton, Boreham Wood and Leyton.