RIP: Ex-Villa's Brian Godfrey

Birmingham Mail

Tributes paid to Aston Villa Cup Final captain Brian Godfrey

Feb 12 2010 by Edward Chadwick, Birmingham Mail
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FORMER Villa captain Brian Godfrey has died after a long battle with leukaemia.

The 69-year-old, who led the club to the 1971 League Cup final, passed away early yesterday at a hospital in Cyprus where he had been receiving treatment.

Teammates paid tribute to the talented forward who became a fans’ favourite after scoring 25 goals in 157 appearances.

Godfrey spoke to the Birmingham Mail about his struggle with the illness last December and said it was the “hardest thing I have ever had to cope with”.

His treatment on the island was complicated by a shortage of donors to match his rare blood type, B Positive.

Godfrey’s wife, Judy, was at his bedside when he died at about 6am.

Neil Rioch, secretary of the Aston Villa Former Players’ Association, played alongside Godfrey between 1969 and 1971.

He said: “It’s a very sad day for us and everyone at the club who was associated with Brian.

“He was a terrific guy and a really good player with all the qualities needed to be a good captain.

“After he finished playing, he helped to get the old boys association off the ground and travelled a long way to play without any expenses but because he just loved the game.

“As a player, he was never blessed with a huge amount of natural pace but he was very intelligent and learned to adapt to different positions.”

Godfrey will be best remembered by fans for leading a Villa team which had slumped to the old Third Division to the final of the League Cup.

It needed two late goals from a Tottenham side packed with internationals to end dreams of what would have been one of the biggest cup final upsets in history.

Godfrey joined Villa from Preston North End in 1967 and also played for Everton and Bristol Rovers, as well as winning three caps for Wales.

He told the Birmingham Mail: “Of all the clubs I played for, Villa stands out as the favourite.”

Funeral details are yet to be confirmed.
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