With the international break, my youngest son Frank’s birthday and Mother’s Day all falling on top of each other, it meant no matches for me last weekend. That doesn’t mean no Football related fun though!
Cornwall Lions Supporters Club was set up by Dave Wickes in November 2020. The AVFC fan club from the land of scones and pasties currently has 150 members. With car shares a plenty going up and down the M5 week in, week out, it’s a great place for any detached Villan to find camaraderie.
But what makes the Cornwall group so special is the ‘legend’ events it has managed to put on since its birth. Throughout lockdowns virtual guests included European Cup Winners Jimmy Rimmer and Tony Morley, flying winger Tony Daley, tough man Shaun Teale and Aston Villa fan, former player and now club ambassador Ian Taylor. A few months on from these successes a book signing and Q&A with Brian Little and Allan Evans took place.
All this leads me onto Saturday where by being a Cornwall Lions member it gave me the opportunity to meet some of my Villa heroes. Tony Morley, Allan Evans, European Cup winning captain Dennis Mortimer and most excitingly for me Gordon ‘Sid’ Cowans.
I never got to see Morley, Evans and Mortimer play with my own eyes, the memories of these three are passed down from my late Dad and through the television cameras of the 70's and 80's. Tony Morley, I remember him leading some coaching sessions in the mid 90's for Hamstead Eagles, the side I played for when a teenager. Personally, I remember Allan Evans as part of Brian Little's backroom team after his playing days. Nowadays he lives in Saltash and is a driving instructor, I've had the misfortune of getting stuck behind him and his pupils on occasions.
Gordon Cowans, however, I did have the pleasure of seeing in the flesh. He scored the opening goal in my first ever match at Villa Park. A 2-1 defeat to Man City on April 1st 1990. I may have caught him at the tail end of his Villa career but what I did see was enough for me to understand what a cultured, two footed midfielder he was with an unbelievable range of passing. Only ten England caps is surely nowhere near enough for a player of his grade.
The cherry on top of the cake at this latest event was looking at Tony Barton's winners medals and receiving a signed copy of the book Barton's Army. Written by Colin Abbott, the book tells the story of Villa's European Cup venture through Reykjavik, Berlin, Kyiv, Brussels and Rotterdam. Not your ordinary football history book, Colin takes us back forty years and on a journey through the fans eyes as we get to read what it was like to follow your club around Europe in the early 80's.
Since it's inception the club has raised £4,600 for charity. An Outstanding effort. The two charities the club has fundraised for are Aston Villa foundation and Children's Hospice South West. Their links are as follows www.avfc.co.uk/foundation and www.chsw.org.uk/
I've become good friends with another Devon based Villa fan in recent times. His name is Clive, he's a brilliant photographer, you can find him on Instagram under the username clivejd. I'd like to share some of his portfolio here.
Some wonderful photos, I’m sure you‘ll agree. Please follow his Instagram and check out his work.
That’s all from me for now. Coming up I’ll be at Plymouth Parkway versus Lymington Town on Saturday as the ambitious home side gather pace towards the top spot in the league and another promotion.
Thanks for your time ✌️
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