Hundreds gather to pay tribute and celebrate life of Aston Villa icon Gary Shaw

  • Watch the moment that Gary Shaw's cortege passes through Villa Park


Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to Aston Villa Legend and European Cup winner Gary Shaw on the day of his funeral.

Among those in attendance were old teammates, including Ian Taylor and Mark Walters - and fans who chanted his name and applauded in his honour.

Fans sang the Villa anthem 'Holte Enders in the Sky' and applauded as Shaw's funeral cortege passed through Villa Park before making its way to Shaw's funeral service in Sutton Coldfield.

Shaw died in September at 63-years-old following a fall.

The striker had been an integral part of Villa's success, helping them to their famous European Cup final in 1982.

Shaw will be remembered as one of the best Villa players of a generation.

A boyhood Villa fan, Shaw lived the dream of all football fans- becoming one of their club's legends.

But after hundreds of visits to Villa Park over the years, today he made his final one.

Who is Gary Shaw?

His name is well-known to Villa fans, as it hangs on a banner at Villa Park immortalising the goal that won Aston Villa the Champions League in 1982.

Born in the Kingshurst area of Birmingham, Shaw registered 165 games for Aston Villa, scoring 59 goals between 1978 and 1988.

He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1981 after netting 18 goals en route to Villa's League Championship triumph.

His Villa career was hindered after a knee injury but he would go on to play for Walsall and Shrewsbury Town.

He also had seven appearances for England Under 21s, but never registered a senior cap for the three lions.

Shaw left Aston Villa on a free transfer in 1988 after 213 games and 79 goals.

He would later play in Denmark, Austria and Hong Kong and before working for Villa as a youth team coach.

After retiring from the sport in 1992, Shaw worked as a statistical analyst.


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