Aston Villa FPA mourn the death of Brian Godfrey
Posted on 11th February, 2010
--------------
OBITUARY
It is with great sadness the Aston Villa Former Players Association announces that Brian Godfrey, aged 69, passed away at 04.15 this morning in hospital near his home in Cyprus after a lengthy and courageous battle against Leukaemia.
Brian started his professional football career at Everton and in an 18-year career played for 6 league clubs and was capped for Wales at
U23 and full international level. He joined Aston Villa from Preston North End in 1967 and played over 160 games including captaining Aston Villa in the 1971 League Cup Final.
Brian was a staunch participant and supporter of the Aston Villa FPA and Aston Villa Old Stars football team and we mourn his passing.
Brian's funeral was a small private service for family and close friends and was held in Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus on Thursday 18th February 2010.
Cyprus Tour Report
Posted on 19th October, 2009
The report from our Cyprus Tour is now live.
Aston Villa Old Stars team secure FragranceMad.com as new sponsors
Posted on 7th October, 2009
Aston Villa Old Stars team secure FragranceMad.com as new sponsors
"We are pleased to announce FragranceMad.com as the new sponsors of the Aston Villa Old Stars football team,initially for the remainder of our 50th anniversary year, however discussions are on-going regarding a potentially longer term arrangement.
Medsport GB Website Now Live
Posted on 11th August, 2009
Announcing the launch of the new Medsport GB website – Proud sponsors of Aston Villa Former Player's Association. Medsport GB supply a wide range of Sports Medicine, Injury Prevention, Training and Rehabilitation products from leading manufacturers at low online prices. If you should have any product queries or bulk requirements, please do not hesitate to contact the Medsport GB Sales Team directly on freephone 0333 123 1321.
Click here to open the Medsport GB Website
The Death Of Tommy Cummings
Posted on 21st July, 2009
We are sad to announce the death of former club manager Tommy Cummings, aged 80, who died on Sunday 12th July after a long illness. His funeral will be at Burnley Crematorium at midday on Friday 24th July.
Paul Merson makes debut for Aston Villa Old Stars team
Posted on 21st July, 2009
Paul Merson makes debut for Aston Villa Old Stars team - Much to the delight of a sizeable crowd, Aston Villa & England legend Paul Merson made his debut for the Aston Villa Old Stars team in the 6-5 victory over a Jaguar/Land Rover X1 on 28th June 2009. An even larger crowd saw Paul give a stunning performance in the 6-3 win against Bewdley Town Vets X1 the following Sunday.
Playing alongside 'regulars' such as European Cup winning heroes Gordon Cowans, Tony Morley, Colin Gibson, Ken McNaught, Des Bremner and Pat Heard, as well as internationals Steve Staunton, Tony Daley and Mark Kinsella, Paul is really enjoying turning out for the Aston Villa Old Stars team. He joins a long list of Aston Villa greats to play for the team and it is terrific to have him on-board in our 50th Anniversary year.
Greyhound Night Postponed - click here for details.
Posted on 9th June, 2009
The Greyhound Night planned for Friday 12th June, 2009 has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. We are in the process of re-scheduling the event and will post a new date as soon as possible.
Aston Villa FPA Mourn The Death Of Eddie Lowe
Posted on 10th March, 2009
Again - it is with much sadness that we inform you of the death of former Aston Villa and England international Eddie Lowe, aged 83, who passed away peacefully in hospital in Nottingham at 7.30pm on Monday 9th March.
Born in Halesowen, Eddie signed professional for Aston Villa in May 1945 and made 117 appearances and gained 3 England caps in the left-half position before his transfer to Fulham in 1950.
It has been a tragic start to 2009 with the loss of five great servants of Aston Villa Football Club - Vic Crowe, Johnny Dixon, Paul Birch, Harry Parkes and now Eddie Lowe.
Aston Villa FPA Mourn The Death Of Harry Parkes
Posted on 6th March, 2009
It is with much sadness that we announce the passing away of former Aston Villa great Harry Parkes, aged 89, who died peacefully at his home last Wednesday morning after a long illness.
A one-club man who made 345 appearances in eight different positions between 1939-1954, Harry is widely regarded as one of Aston Villa's most popular players of all-time and in 2000, supporters voted him the 1940's 'Player of the Decade'. He also sat on Aston Villa's board of directors in the late 1960's and 1970s.
He retired from football in 1955 to concentrate on his successful sports shop in Corporation Street, Birmingham and later formed the Intersport Group before retiring in the mid 1990's.
Aston Villa FPA Mourn The Death Of Paul Birch
Posted on 2nd February, 2009
It is with the greatest sadness that we inform you that former Aston Villa & Wolves player Paul Birch passed away this morning (Monday 2nd February 2009) in Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield after a long and courageous battle against bone cancer.
Paul Birch began his career in the Aston Villa youth system, winning the Youth Cup along the way in 1980, and made his first team debut in the 1982/83 season in the European Super Cup Final coming on as a substitute for Gary Shaw, with 12 minutes of the game remaining. He then became a regular first-team player in the 1983/84 season, making his league debut on August 29 1983 in a 1-0 win at home to Sunderland. During Villa's decline he was the mainstay of their midfield - able to play on the right or in the centre - and through his tenacious performances became a huge Holte End favourite.
However, when Dr Jozef Venglos became Villa manager in 1990, Birch found himself out of the team and was sold to second flight Wolverhampton Wanderers in early 1991 for £400,000 where he joined up with former manager Graham Turner. He had served Aston Villa F.C.for over 10 years and was awarded a testimonial by the club (against his new side) in August 1991.
Birch stayed at Wolves for five years as the club tried to break into the Premier League. He was almost an ever-present under Turner, but found regular appearances harder to come by after Wolves appointed another former manager of his, Graham Taylor.
He was finally released by Wolves in the summer of 1996, after a short loan spell at Preston North End, whereupon he finished his career with a season at both Doncaster Rovers and then Exeter City before retiring from professional football.
He then turned out for many years for the Aston Villa Old Stars football team, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for those less fortunate than himself.
RIP Birchy, you'll be forever in our hearts.
Donations if desired can be made by cheque to the 'Paul Birch Trust' and sent to:
Paul Birch Trust
C/o Aston Villa FPA
Villa Park
Trinity Road
Birmingham
B6 6HE
VIC CROWE
Posted on 22nd January, 2009
Following the very sad news yesterday regarding Johnny Dixon, we were informed this morning of the death of another Aston Villa great - Vic Crowe - who passed away yesterday, Wednesday 21 January 2009, aged 76 after a long illness.
Victor Crowe was born Abercynon, Glamorgan on 31 January 1932 was a former Welsh footballer.
Vic Crowe signed for Aston Villa in the 1951/52 season and established himself in the team when Danny Blanchflower vacated the right-half berth in 1954. He missed the 1957 FA Cup Final due to injury but captained the side to the Second Division title in 1960 and League Cup Final success in 1961. He was capped 16 times by Wales and was a member of their World Cup Finals squad in 1958.
As coach and then as manager, Crowe was unable to prevent Villa being relegated when he took charge towards the end of the 1969/70 season. The following season he led his Third Division team to the League Cup Final against Tottenfham Hotspur, which Villa lost 2-0. However he saw his side finish top of Division Three in 1972, breaking many records along the way and playing some wonderful football. He was sacked in 1974 after his side finished 14th in Division Two.
In 1975 Vic went to the United States to take part in the North American Soccer League, taking the manager's position with Portland Timbers. He brought a cast of English players with him, many of them young players from Aston Villa and the Midlands area, and they proceeded to win the Western Division championship and advanced all the way to the NASL final, losing 2-0 to Yampa Bay Rowdies. In their two home playoff games, "The Lads" success forced the club to add temporary seating to accommodate their fans, and the team played before two crowds in excess of 30,000, totals unheard of in US soccer at the time. Vic stayed in Portland through the 1976 season before returning to England.
However, the Timbers beckoned again in 1980 and he returned for three more seasons in America. Although his teams never captured the success of that first year, he left an indelible mark on soccer in the Pacific Northwest by introducing thousands of Portland area residents to the joys of the game. Today, Portland is a soccer hotbed. The Timbers still live as members of the professional USL First Division, and they play in the same stadium where Vic and the boys excelled that first year in 1975.
Aston Villa FPA Mourn The Death Of Johnny Dixon
Posted on 21st January, 2009
We are extremely sad to announce that Aston Villa's 1957 FA Cup-winning captain Johnny Dixon passed away on Tuesday 20 January 2009.
Born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, he played for Aston Villa from 1945 until his retirement in 1961, making 430 appearances and scoring 144 goals. He was Villa's last FA Cup winning captain, in 1957.
Dixon signed as a professional for Villa shortly after the Second World War, after playing a number of wartime matches for the club. He was voted supporters' 'Terrace Trophy' winner in 1959; and in 1960 helped Villa win promotion back to the top-flight. He played his last game for Villa in April 1961, scoring in a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
On retiring, Dixon remained at the club for six years coaching the youth team. One of the most popular Villa players of all time, he continued to turn out for the Aston Villa Old Stars, playing his last game at 72 years of age. He was also honorary President Of The Aston Villa Former Players Association since its creation in 1995.
To all that knew him Johnny was a legend and a true gentleman.
In recent years Johnny had suffered from Alzheimers disease and passed away in Good Hope Hospital.
The family would like to express their gratitude to all at Good Hope Hospital who's staff were absolutely wonderful.
He is survived by his wife Brenda, son Andrew, daughter Helen and 3 grandchildren, to whom we express our deepest condolences.
PETER ALDIS
Posted on 27th November, 2008
We are sad to announce that Aston Villa's 1957 FA Cup-winning left-back Peter Aldis passed away on Thursday November 13th 2008, aged 81. Peter had been poorly for some time and whilst in hospital had a stroke on the previous Tuesday from which he never regained consciousness.
Peter was a left-back who played 294 times for Aston Villa during the 1950s and was part of the FA Cup-winning side of 1957.
He also held the English league record for the longest headed goal - from 35 yards out. The goal against Sunderland in 1952 was also the only one he ever scored during his time with Villa.
Peter was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on 11 April, 1927, and worked for well-known local chocolate firm Cadbury's before joining Aston Villa from local side Hay Green in November 1948. He turned professional the following January.
Peter and Stan Lynn then went on to form the most famous full-back partnership in Aston Villa's history - playing more than 600 matches between them.
He left the club in 1960 to join Hinckley Athletic.
In 1964 he moved to Australia, becoming player-manager at a couple of clubs, one of which was Melbourne club Wilhelmina - where he won the Australian Player of the Year award.
In 1968 - at 41 years old – Peter and his family moved back to England, taking on the role of player manager at non-league side Alvechurch. In later years the family moved down to Sussex where they still live to this day.
He is survived by his wife Grace, and two daughters Julie and Leeza to whom we express our deepest condolences.
Aston Villa Former Players mourn the death of Bill Shorthouse
Posted on 12th November, 2008
Born in Bilston, Staffordshire, Bill Shorthouse attended St Martin's School in nearby Bradley before serving in the Second World War, where he was wounded in the arm during the Normandy Landings, He returned and recovered to sign for Wolves as an apprentice in 1945; his league debut came on 23 August 1947in a 3–4 defeat at Manchester City.
He played as a defender, first at centre-half until replaced by Billy Wright, then at full-back. He was part of the club's 1949 FA Cup -winning team and was a near ever-present as the club won their first league championship in the 1953-1954 season.
The defender remained a first choice player at Molineux until retiring in late 1956. In total, he played 376 senior games for the club – putting him among the club's top 20 appearance makers – before launching a career in coaching.
Shorthouse went on to coach at Birmingham City and he acted as caretaker manager at the end of the 1969-70 season while the club sought a replacement after Stan Cullis, Shorthouse's former manager at Wolves, retired. He also briefly coached the England Youth Team during the following season and later worked as a youth team coach at Aston Villa, where he is still fondly remembered by former players and supporters alike, having guided them to victory in the 1980 FA Youth Cup.
He spent the remainder of his life in Wolverhampton and was very active within the Wolves Former Players Association.
Known as 'The Baron' to his team-mates, he died in a Wolverhampton nursing home on 6th September 2008 at the age of 86. He had been suffering from dementia.
He was survived by his wife Betty, two sons Paul and Nigel, four grandchildren and one great-grandson to whom we express our deepest condolences.
FUNDRAISER – FOR THE 'PAUL BIRCH TRUST' - CHARITY BIKE RIDE
Posted on 28th September, 2008
This coming Saturday 4th October, Chris Cooper, a lifelong Aston Villa fan, will be embarking on a 'Charity Bike Ride' from Villa Park to Paris in France, a gruelling 500-mile trip that he will complete in 5 days wearing the claret & blue colours of Aston Villa.
<a href="http://www.astonvillafpa.org/charitybikeride.php">Click here to find out more and read Chris' daily blog.</a>
Old Stars appoint Chris Nicholl as their new manager
Posted on 12th August, 2008
We are delighted to formally announce the appointment of Chris Nicholl as Manager of the Aston Villa Old Stars football team, only the 6th Manager in the team's 49-year history.
Chris, a former Aston Villa Old Stars player himself, officially took charge on Sunday 18th May and the players responded immediately with a resounding 15-0 victory.
In a very successful football career, Chris Nicholl was Aston Villa’s first choice centre-half between 1971 and 1977 making over 250 appearances. During this time he was twice a League Cup winner, first in 1975 and again in 1977 as captain and goalscorer. He also won two promotions helping Aston Villa back into the top-flight in 1975.
Chris was transferred to Southampton in 1977, again making over 250 appearances and reaching another League Cup Final in 1979. He won 51 caps for Northern Ireland and played in the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain.
After retiring as a player, Chris was appointed Manager of Southampton FC between 1985 and 1991 leading them to FA Cup and League Cup semi-finals and a 7th place finish in the 1st division. In 1994 Chris became Manager of Walsall FC and led the club to promotion in his first season. From 1998 to 2000, he was Assistant Manager of the Northern Ireland international team.
So it is a proud moment for the Aston Villa Old Stars to have someone of Chris’s pedigree to take charge and lead the team through the 'half-a-century' milestone of fundraising fixtures and beyond. I'm sure you will all give him your full support.
As we welcome Chris Nicholl to his new managerial post, we want to pay tribute to the fantastic job that John Chambers has done as Manager of the team since 2002. John first played in the team in 1971 and has been the backbone of the Aston Villa Old Stars for over 35 years. He was awarded the Aston Villa FPA's 'Outstanding Service' award in 1999 and we sincerely hope we'll continue to see 'Chambo' turn out for the team again in the near future.
1957 FA Cup hero Les Smith sadly passes away
Posted on 10th March, 2008
Aston Villa Former Players mourn the death of another of their 1957 FA Cup winning heroes Leslie Smith, just two weeks after the death of fellow 1957 Wembley winner Jimmy Dugdale.
Smith, sadly passed away last Saturday, March 8th 2008, following a long battle with throat and bowel cancer. Smith was a rare breed, a winger who could play on either flank, and joined Villa from Wolves in February 1956 for £25,000.
He went on to score 25 goals in 130 games for the club, the highlight of which was the FA Cup final victory over Manchester United 41 years ago. He was sadly forced into early retirement in 1960 after suffering an Achilles injury.
Smith was also a member of the Wolves team that beat Honved under floodlights at Molineux in 1954, he scored 24 goals in 94 games for Wolves.
Halesowen born Smith, who passed away at Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge, leaves a wife Lynne, 75, a son Nigel, 47, and grandchildren Faye and Scott.
HISTORIC "DOUBLE HEADER"
Posted on 14th October, 2007
Who said it couldn´t be done?
On Sunday 14th October, the Aston Villa Old Stars reputation was greatly enhanced as the team created a piece of history.
It was the first time in the 48 years history of the team (and probably the last) that two X1´s have ever played simultaneously. An Aston Villa Old Stars side kicked off at 2.30pm at Studley FC in Warwickshire and another Aston Villa Old Stars side kicked off at 1.30pm at Chasetown FC in Staffordshire.
The players deserve great credit for their commitment to supporting the ethos of the Aston Villa Old Stars and for this outstanding achievement and it also demonstrates the strength in depth of the current squad. We cannot think of another club that could have done this.
That a number of our squad were unavailable to play, such as European Cup heroes Tony Morley and Colin Gibson who were on holiday, Steve Staunton who was with the Republic of Ireland team, Mark Walters who was with the Villa youngsters at Stoke City, etc, the ability to still field two strong teams is even more remarkable.
Special mention must go to our General Secretary Karl Court and to our Administrator Lynne Atkinson who both did a fantastic job with the respective match organisers and in communicating with the players.
We don´t yet know the final amount of money raised from the two games for the respective Cancer Research and Acorn´s Hospice charities but indications are it will be a healthy sum in both instances.
As for the games, well it was good news that both our teams won. The 2-1 victory at Studley FC could have been by a greater margin. As for the 19-0 win at Chasetown FC, well the team just clicked on the day on a perfect playing surface.
After their 19-0 win at Chasetown FC the players referred to themselves as the ´first-team´ and when checking with the players who played at Studley FC, referred to them as the ´reserves´. The Aston Villa Old Stars team is not a good place for anyone with a big ego!
© Copyright 2009 Aston Villa Former Players Association