Gordon 'Sidney' Cowans: Give us a wave

I want to briefly take you back to a game played between Villa and Wolves in 1982, when as a 14 year old I witnessed a moment of sheer class that has stayed with me ever since.

During the warm up Gordon ‘Sidney’ Cowans chipped the ball from the penalty area straight into a small net held by the kit-man on the half way line. The kit-man didn’t move a muscle and the ball didn’t even touch the sides.

On the pitch Gordon was a footballing genius who deserved a hundred England caps. It was only because of the love affair the biased London media had with Hoddle and then Gascoigne that he never got the rewards his talents deserved.

During his three spells at Villa Park 'Sid' was fantastic and a big reason for the all the successes in the early 80’s. He hardly missed a game in his first spell and then in his second spell nearly won us the league again. He made David Platt into the superstar he became and as you can probably tell Gordon Cowans is by some way my all-time favourite Aston Villa player.

Yes, Paul McGrath was impressive with his dodgy knees but it was ‘Sid’ Cowans who was the real Villa idol and model pro.

We are all aware of the fantastic work Gordon has done with the academy side over last six or so years but it really is brilliant to see him finally back involved with the first team and sitting on the bench. Welcome back ‘Sid’ and congratulations to Mr. Houllier on making such an excellent appointment.

So let’s hear it next home game, “Sidney, Sidney give us a wave”.

Seeing as Andy has declared his love for a true Aston Villa living legend, do you have a favourite Aston Villa player? Tell us your story below.