A former Wolves forward who holds a place in the history books as the youngest ever player to make a senior debut for a League club has died aged 80.

Tributes were today paid to inside forward Cameron Buchanan, who was aged just 14 years and 57 days when he made his first appearance in a wartime game for Wolves.

The Scottish-born star set the footballing record when he took to the Molineux pitch in September 1942 in a match against West Bromwich Albion.

Cameron was given his remarkable debut by legendary manager Major Frank Buckley and went on to play 18 games for the club during the Second World War, scoring six goals, including a hat-trick against Southampton in 1945.

The footballer retired from the sport in 1958 after playing for clubs including Bournemouth and Norwich City. He moved back to Scotland, settling in Tayside where he worked as a linen service manager.

But despite moving hundreds of miles away from Wolverhampton, the player stayed true to his first team and often watched Wolves play when they travelled to the north of England.

Cameron died on Wednesday in a Scottish nursing home, where he was being cared for after developing dementia.

His death comes just days after that of legendary defender Bill Shorthouse, who passed away last Saturday, aged 86.

His 38-year-old son Duncan today paid tribute to his father. “He encouraged me to play sports like football and golf and he took me to see Wolves,” he said.

“Even during his illness, the one thing you could always get him to talk about was the Wolves. He saw playing for them as a real privilege.”

Legend Burt Williams, president of the Wolves Former Players Association (WFPA), said: “Cameron was a very talented forward and was carving out a most promising career for himself the year I joined Wolves for the 1945-46 season.”

The footballer’s funeral will be held in Kirkaldy, Scotland, on Wednesday.