SPORTS journalism has lost one of its true stalwarts with the death of Brian Swain at the age of 78.

Brian, who retired to Falmouth in 2004 after retiring as sports editor of the Luton News, passed away after a long illness.

His wife Rosemary said: "He devoted his life to journalism and especially to Luton Town FC, where he was a well-known figure for many years. He covered the club’s glory days, when they played in the old First Division, and Eric Morecambe the comedian was involved in the club."

Brian left Dunstable Grammar School and, after a short spell working in a brewery, joined the Luton News as a copy-holder in 1955. After National Service in Cyprus, he rejoined the paper for almost his entire career, working as general reporter and industrial correspondent before taking on the sports job.

During his news reporting days, he covered the Great Train Robbery and the A6 murder, which led to the hanging of James Hanratty. But sports writing was his forte, and he travelled all over the country following his beloved Hatters.

He interviewed many sporting legends in his time and was a friend of former Luton manager David Pleat.

Rosemary said: "He loved sport and journalism, and always said he was lucky to have lived through a great newspaper era."

Former colleague Den O’Donoghue said: "His love affair with Luton Town began during the Second World War when, aged five, he drifted into Kenilworth Road for a now long-forgotten reserve match and was hooked. Later, he even joined the St John Ambulance so that he could sit by the touchline at matches.

"He wanted to be a journalist right from the outset. There were no vacancies at the Luton News at that time, so he joined Whitbread Brewery in the town for a few months until one arose. At that point he became a copy boy in the readers' department. His long-time sports desk colleague Eric Norris was already working in the department.

"He became a reporter and, after his indentures, moved to a Manchester evening newspaper based in Bolton. He did his National Service in the Intelligence Corps while based in Cyprus.

"The Bolton paper closed and Brian returned to Luton as deputy chief reporter before becoming industrial correspondent. In 1972 sports editor Eric Pugh (bylined as Chiltern) died and at Christmas of the same year Brian was appointed in his place.

He said: "It was my dream job and the best Christmas present I ever had." He also became the first LN sports editor to write under his own name.’

For 25 years, Brian reported on Luton home and away, and after leaving the Luton News in 1997, he spent a further seven years as a freelance, working for national papers and at the same time becoming Luton Town’s programme editor.

His last home game before retirement was Luton's 3-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday and the following week, he brought down the curtain on 1,629 domestic matches at Chesterfield, where the hosts acknowledged his service and presented him with a bottle of champagne.

In 2004, Brian fulfilled a lifelong dream by retiring to Falmouth, a town he fell in love with as a child, when he was taken there for his annual holidays.

Rosemary said: "We had a good life in Cornwall and Brian used to love walking round Falmouth waterfront, taking in the sea air."

He died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on April 30. His funeral will be held at Penmount Crematorium, Truro, on Friday (1pm).