10 Greatest Aston Villa Defenders Of All Time
5. George Cummings [1935–1949]
George Cummings had a master’s degree in the art of defending. He spent 14-year association with the club but sadly it included the war years, or Cummings would have amassed over 400 appearances in claret and blue, rather than his official figure of 232.
A solid, resolute full-back, he was nicknamed “The Icicle” because of his ability to remain calm under pressure. One such example was seen when he subdued the great Stanley Matthews as Villa beat Blackpool in the 1944 League North Cup final.
4. Stan Lynn [1950–1961]
Stan Lynn is one of the best full-backs to play for Villa. His career at Villa spanned between 1950-1962, in which he made 324 appearances for the club and scored 38 goals.
Although he played in an era where full-backs were expected to do mostly defending, Lynn regarded it as his duty to move forward and explore the possibilities of unleashing one of his thunderbolts. He is one of football’s highest-scoring full-backs and once scored a hat-trick against Sunderland in January 1958.
3. Allan Evans [1977–1989]
Allan Evans is regarded as one of Villa’s all-time greatest defenders. He was signed from Dunfermline in 1977 as a centre-forward but was soon converted to centre-half where he enjoyed a long and successful career for Villa, making 475 appearances.
Evans was one of the pillars of the championship and European Cup-winning team and formed a formidable partnership with his fellow Scot Ken McNaught.
Consistent at the back and a fine header of the ball, Evans claimed a number of trophies in his time at the club, including the European Cup.