Legendary Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United figure handed major gong in New Year's Honours list

The 80-year-old is known to many as 'Mr Sheffield Wednesday' for his efforts as a player, manager and latterly in the boardroom of the club he grew up supporting as a Netherthorpe lad. Wilkinson, who also acts of chairman of the League Managers Association, has been awarded an OBE for 'Services to Association Football and to Charity.'

Among his many achievements for the Hillsborough club include promotion from the second division as manager in 1984 as well as two top-eight finishes in the top flight and an FA Cup semi-final appearance in 1986. His Owls playing career was less storied as he made 22 league appearances as a winger between 1962 and 1966.

In 2010 he returned to Wednesday to act as interim chairman following the departure of Lee Strafford and played a monumental role in the steering of the club from dire financial difficulties. He is crediting with helping to facilitate its sale to Milan Mandaric, predecessor to current owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Among his many other football achievements are winning the last First Division title before the Premiership rebrand, doing so with Wednesday's Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in 1992. Incredibly, he remains the last English manager to win the English top flight. He featured as England caretaker manager on two occasions and spent two years as manager of the England under-21s side.

He played a major role in the modernisation of the England set-up behind the scenes, driving the St Georges Project that now sees the national team blessed with some of the finest training facilities in world football. He also published the Charter for Quality which was the basis for which all English academies were to train future stars.