TRIBUTES have been paid to the founder of St Mirren’s official website after he died of a rare cancer.

Kenny Pointon, who lived in Elderslie, was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2016, but died on Saturday at the age of 54.

The head and neck cancer, which starts in the upper part of the throat behind the nose, only affects about 240 people in the UK each year.

Structural engineer Kenny and his wife Karin founded St Mirren’s first official website in 2000 and Kenny continued working on it for the following 16 years until his diagnosis.

Karin, 45, said Kenny was well-known by many Saints fans and former players and was regarded highly for his skills in website editing.

“I remember he was approached by some of the Premiership clubs because the features Kenny had used on the St Mirren site were so novel,” said Karin, who married Kenny in 2011.

“Motherwell is the one I remember most, but there were others.

“He was self-taught and it was unpaid, so I think that made it a wee bit more special.

“He worked tirelessly on it. He was full of life and a Paisley Buddie through and through.

“He found it difficult to come to terms with his illness being life-limiting, but I would like to thank the team at Accord Day Hospice in Paisley who lifted his spirits and encouraged him to take part in activities so he could focus on living rather than dying.”

Kenny was born in the old Thorn Hospital in Johnstone, but grew up in the Glenburn area of Paisley, where his love of Saints began.

His dad was a Rangers fan, but Kenny’s neighbours were Buddies and encouraged him to go to Love Street instead of Ibrox.

Former website editor Norrie Jamieson, who worked with Kenny, said: “Kenny was inventive with his design and helped push the club towards being one of the first to work with a database driven site.

“His work had him in demand because he was often approached for advice in the early days of internet mania, when clubs were looking at getting an online presence secured; something Kenny was more than happy to help with.

“Kenny will be a loss to all who knew him.”