Aston Villa hero Andy Lochhead dies aged 81
The Scottish striker was part of the Aston Villa team which won the Third Division title in the early 1970s
Andy Lochhead, an Aston Villa legend, has died at the age of 81.
The courageous Scot scored 44 goals in 154 games, including 25 in 1971/72 as Villa won the Third Division and reached the League Cup final. Lochead, who was born in Stirlingshire, also played for Burnley, Leicester City, and Oldham Athletic before finishing his career with the Denver Dynamos in America.
While he is fondly remembered at Villa, he achieved legendary status at Burnley after making his debut for the Turf Moor club at the age of 19. He played 266 times for the Clarets, scoring 128 goals. That haul included four in a Boxing Day game with Manchester United in 1963 and five against Chelsea and Bournemouth. He also netted a European hat-trick against Lausanne.
No quick fix for Aston Villa’s kit issues
Villa have been warned there is no quick fix to the problem of their “wet-look” shirts.
Players from both the men’s and women’s teams have complained about the quality of the kit, which they claim becomes heavy with sweat too quickly.
That has prompted the club to approach manufacturer Castore but while the matter is being investigated as a matter of urgency, a solution is likely to be several weeks away.
Despite concerns, Villa’s women’s team are as things stand expected to wear the home kit in Sunday’s Women’s Super League opener against Manchester United, which will be broadcast live on the BBC.
Players from both teams have claimed the heavy nature of the shirts make them harder to play in, while broadcaster Jacqui Oatley claimed Villa’s women were “dreading” the prospect of playing in them because of how they might look.
“They are dreading playing in it, for obvious reasons,” she told the Daily Mail. “No woman that I know wants to get hot and sweaty and have their sports gear cling to them in all places, live on television in particular.
“It just shouldn’t be happening. I personally think these women need to have a different kit to play in, however they do it, I absolutely think they have to come up with a solution before Sunday.”
Villa signed a multi-year deal with Manchester-based Castore at the start of last season. The option of using last year’s kit as a short-term solution is believed to be a non-starter, with the club having changed sponsor over the summer.
