Aston Villa hope to do Gary Shaw proud on return to Europe’s elite

The words on a banner that hung in Villa Park’s North Stand should inspire Aston Villa as they embark on their Champions League campaign with memories of a hero in their hearts.

Gary Shaw, one of the finest strikers in Villa’s history, died on Monday aged 63, following injuries sustained in a fall. He was there on Villa’s greatest night, when they beat Bayern Munich in Rotterdam in 1982 to lift the European Cup, and there can be no greater motivation for the current generation as they prepare to take on Young Boys on their artificial surface in Bern tonight/on Tuesday.

That banner is an homage to the commentary of Brian Moore from that night 42 years ago and can be quoted by Villa fans of all generations. ‘Shaw, [Gary] Williams, prepared to adventure down the left. There’s a good ball played in for Tony Morley. Oh, it must be and it is! Peter Withe!’

Unai Emery was 10 when Villa won the European Cup and none of his players were born. Yet they will all have heard of Shaw. 

Asked if Villa would dedicate an eventual victory to Shaw’s memory, Emery said: ‘Yes, I think it would be completely appropriate and it can give us extra motivation.

Aston Villa face Young Boys in their first match in Europe’s top competition for 41 years

Gary Shaw (left) has passed away on Monday at the age of 63 after suffering a head injury

Unai Emery paid tribute to Shaw and says they hope to do him proud on Tuesday night

‘I send my condolences to the family and all the supporters of Aston Villa. We always remember him. We have a picture of the European Cup winners from 1982 at the training ground and he was one of the protagonists.’ 

Villa will wear black armbands against Young Boys and will hold their own tribute at Villa Park before they take on Wolves on Saturday.

The tribute on Villa’s website describes the blond-haired Shaw as ‘the golden boy of Villa’s golden era.’ As well as performing a leading role in 1982, the local lad was also vital in the title-winning side of 1981. He scored 18 times in the league that season and was named PFA Young Player of the Year, adding the European Young Player award 12 months later.

Like Shaw, Gabby Agbonlahor was a homegrown talent who prospered in Villa’s first team. Agbonlahor scored 87 goals in nearly 400 matches for Villa and revealed Shaw had helped him hone his craft while he was in the youth team.

He said: ‘I was lucky enough to be coached by him from the age of 14 to 17. He used to take me, Luke and Stefan Moore, and Darius Vassell off for drills. He took the strikers, did finishing with us, showed us the art of goalscoring.

‘But he never mentioned what he achieved. He was so humble. He should have been the guy who told everyone what he had done and what a good player he was. But he just concentrated on coaching the players. He was a genuinely nice guy.

‘We sometimes forget what legends those guys were who won the European Cup. We haven’t played in the competition for 41 years since and what they achieved makes them legends of the club.’

Shaw scored 79 goals in 213 games for Villa and as well as the big two trophies in 1981 and 1982, he also lifted the European Super Cup. The bonds of friendship still remain strong among that squad and there are fond memories of Shaw.

After beating Icelandic side Valur 5-0 in the first round in 1982, Villa travelled to Reykjavik for the second leg and decided to let their hair down. 

Shaw scored 79 goals in 213 games for Villa and as well as the two trophies in 1981 and 1982 

He became an apprentice at Villa in 1977 and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award four years later

Villa will play Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Bologna, Club Brugge, Juventus, Leipzig Monaco and Celtic

‘We were in a disco and Miss World walked in,’ Tony Morley told Mail Sport in an interview in May 2022. ‘Gary Shaw was trying to do his moves — but being from Birmingham, he doesn’t have many! This is what builds team spirit — it’s created off the pitch, not on it. That’s why we were able to do what we did, and why we’re still friends 40 years later.’

Echoes of the past will accompany this campaign. In their first home game on October 2, Villa take on Bayern. On November 27, they will welcome Juventus – Villa’s last opponents in this competition 41 years ago. 

The trip to Leipzig, in the old East Germany, in December will evoke memories of the tie against Dynamo Berlin in the second round in 1982, where Morley scored a brilliant solo goal.

Villa were regularly out of their comfort zone during that campaign and they will be so again tomorrow. Young Boys’ artificial pitch persuaded Emery to change his plans, with Villa flying to Switzerland earlier than usual so they could train on the surface last night/on Monday.

Midfielder Youri Tielemans said: ‘In our youth careers we all played on astroturf before so I wouldn’t say we are concerned, but it’s different from the Premier League, where we are used to good grass. We wanted to train on it and there will be no excuses.’