TRIBUTES have been paid to a much-loved Haddington footballer who died at his home at the weekend.

Blair McEwan, 23, from Colstoun Mains Cottages, near Haddington, represented junior side Haddington Athletic last season and was set to play for Dunbar United this term.

His body was found at 1.30am on Sunday and he leaves behind his mother and father, Dorothy and Bobby, as well as brother and sister, Neil and Sheenarose. There were no suspicious circumstances.

Neil was too upset to talk to the Courier.

Neighbour Andrew Stoddart said “everybody is devastated” by what had happened.

He had lived beside Blair for 20 years and described him as “a nice young guy, always cheery”.

Dunbar United manager Geoff Jones was among those who paid tribute to the 23-year-old.

He said: “I had the pleasure of playing with Blair at Haddington Athletic last season and I was delighted when he agreed to join the new era at Dunbar United for this coming season.

“Although Blair had only been with us for a matter of weeks, he had already made a positive impression with his new team mates and will be sorely missed by everyone at the club. Rest in Peace Blair.” At the start of the 2007/08 season, Blair played with hometown team Haddington United and remained with them until early in 2010. Tom Thornton of Haddington Athletic said: “For the last four years Blair had represented Haddington Athletic at under 21, amateur and Junior level, performing mainly in a central midfield role, and at 23 looked more than capable of establishing himself in Junior football for years to come. “His first outing with the Juniors was as a trialist substitute in a 5-1 League Cup victory at Dalkeith in August 2011, when he impressed after replacing Sean Conaghan late on. “In the close season of 2012, Blair was recruited to the Junior ranks on a permanent basis by then manager Stevie McLeish, but after just five starts in the first half of the season he opted to revert to the amateurs’ team after the turn of the year in order to play regular competitive football.” He returned to midfield last summer and featured in 24 of 33 competitive outings, scoring his first goal in an 8-1 win at Stoneyburn Juniors on January 4.

Former Haddington coach Derek Aitken, now at Dunbar, described former Knox Academy pupil Blair as “a great wee bubbly character; a great wee guy”.

He said: “This was a new chapter for him at Dunbar and was going to be his breakthrough season in Junior football.

“He had two years as a bit part player and learning the game and he would probably be a first team starter every week this season.” Away from the football field, Blair worked at McConechy’s Tyre and Exhaust Centre in Haddington, completing work experience there when he was 16 and joining up after leaving school.

Manager Derek Ross described him as “part of the family, a sorely, sorely missed part of the team and a much respected colleague”.

He worked as a the commercial breakdown fitter and Mr Ross added: “It came as a very, very major shock and we are still struggling to cope with the loss and come to terms with it.” A private funeral will be held on Monday with a service of remembrance at Haddington’s West Church at 12.30pm, to which all family and friends are welcome.

Little more than three months ago, Musselburgh footballer Steven Slater, aged 25, died near his home.