Aston Villa have paid tribute to former winger Harry Burrows following his death at the age of 85.
Burrows represented Villa between 1958 and 1965 and was part of the side which made history by winning the inaugural League Cup.
The club confirmed Burrows’ passing in an official tribute, with BBC Sport reporting the death of the former Aston Villa and Stoke City forward.
Burrows made his Villa debut against Hull City on Boxing Day in 1959 after joining Joe Mercer’s side as a teenager.
He would go on to become an important member of one of Villa’s most significant teams of the 1960s.
Harry Burrows helped Aston Villa make history
Burrows’ defining Villa moment came in the 1961 League Cup final.
Villa entered the second leg against Rotherham United trailing 2-0 but completed a dramatic turnaround at Villa Park.
Historical records from 11v11 show Alan O’Neill opened the scoring before Burrows struck two minutes later.
Peter McParland then scored in extra-time as Villa won 3-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.
Burrows therefore played a direct role as Villa became the first winners of the League Cup.
That triumph began a remarkable relationship with the competition which eventually produced five Villa victories, with ReadAstonVilla’s look back at the club’s 1996 League Cup success detailing the most recent of those triumphs.
Burrows also helped Villa reach another League Cup final in 1963 and finished as the club’s leading scorer in successive seasons.
The winger eventually departed for Stoke City in March 1965, where he became another hugely popular figure.
Former Stoke team-mate Terry Conroy remembered Burrows as a “terrific footballer” with an exceptionally powerful shot when paying tribute following news of his death.
Burrows’ contribution to Aston Villa stretches far beyond his statistics.
He was part of a side which returned Villa to the top flight and then delivered the first League Cup in English football history.
His place in the club’s history is secure.
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