LEGENDARY Pars Scottish Cup winner George Peebles has died at the age of 80, the football club have announced.

The former outside right, who provided the cross for Davie Thomson to head home the opener in Athletic's famous 1961 cup final win over Celtic, passed away in a Stirling nursing home after suffering from ill health in recent years.

Born in Stirling, Peebles signed for Dunfermline from Dunipace in August 1955 and made his debut in a League Cup tie with Clyde.

He quickly became a regular in the side and, during Athletic's march to the cup final in 1961, Peebles was one of only four players to feature in each of the eight matches.

Under Jock Stein's management, Peebles made more appearances than any other Pars player, featuring 185 times, including in the memorable European triumphs over Everton and Valencia.

In total, Peebles played 413 times for Dunfermline and scored 85 goals, putting him fourth and seventh in the club's all-time appearance and goalscoring lists respectively.

After leaving East End Park in 1966, Peebles played for hometown club Stirling Albion - with whom he later had a spell managing - until he retired in 1971.

In 2007, Peebles was inducted into the Dunfermline Athletic Hall of Fame but in recent years suffered from Parkinson's Disease and dementia.

Peebles is survived by his daughters Yvonne and Karen and their husbands Fred and Charlie, and by five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.