Charlie Aitken dead at 81: Aston Villa’s record appearance holder passes away as club lead tributes to late great

ASTON VILLA are mourning the death of club record appearance maker Charlie Aitken.

The former left-back, who has died aged 81, played 660 games for the Midlanders from 1959-1976.

Charlie Aitken famously spent 17 years with Aston Villa and went on to play alongside all-time greats Pele and Franz Beckenbauer at New York Cosmos

Aitken, left, is pictured here with another former long-serving Villa hero Peter McParland as they hold the FA Cup aloft in 20142014 Malcolm Couzens

The popular Scot eventually left the club for a season’s swansong alongside all-time greats Pele and Franz Beckenbauer at New York Cosmos.

Villa said they are “deeply saddened” at the loss of the former Under-23 international, who initially only went to the club to accompany his friend Wilson Briggs on trial.

Briggs ended up playing just twice for Villa – whereas Aitken finished up with a landmark haul of appearances that the club believe “will almost certainly never be broken”.

He helped the club win the old Division Three (fourth tier) in 1972 and the League Cup three years later.

And after moving to New York for 1976-77 he provided the assist for the late Pele’s 1,250th career goal.

Aitken described the Brazilian as a gentleman, adding: “I spent loads of time with him. He was just one of the lads really. “

Villa said in a statement they were “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of club-record appearance holder Charlie Aitken, who has died at the age of 81”.

They added: “The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Charlie’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.

“Charlie established a Villa record which will almost certainly never be broken. During 17 years with the club, he made a total of 660 appearances – 657 starts plus three as a substitute.

“To give an indication of the magnitude of his achievement, the next two highest Villa appearance-makers are the club’s record scorer Billy Walker with 531 and European Cup winner Gordon Cowans on 527.

“Aitken also mirrored the club’s fluctuating fortunes from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, making the journey from the old First Division to the Second to the Third – and back again – between 1967 and 1975.

“As well as representing Villa in three different divisions, he also played in the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Charity Shield and the UEFA Cup – an impressive portfolio for someone who attended a rugby-playing school where football was frowned upon.”