Villa and West Brom may be big rivals on the pitch but former players of both clubs are joining forces on Saturday to raise money for the Paul Birch Trust.
Members of both former players’ associations have volunteered to help with collections all around Villa Park for our former midfielder, who is battling cancer.
Among the ex-Villa men with collection tins will be Charlie Aitken, Gordon Cowans, Des Bremner, Kenny Swain and Garry Thompson who, of course, also played for the Baggies.
In all, 19 ex-players will be situated at various points around the stadium, each accompanied by members of the Aston Villa Supporters Trust.
“It’s terrific to have the club and its former players working in tandem for such a great cause,” says Villa’s FPA chairman Neil Rioch. “To have the opposition’s former players also offering their support demonstrates the mutual respect players have for each other.”
The Paul Birch Trust would like to thank Advek, the club’s official print partners, for providing free printing for the collection tins.