Johnny Phillips: Gary is Shaw of a place in Aston Villa folklore
It was deeply saddening to learn of Gary Shaw’s passing this week. In later life he was a
regular in the media room at Villa Park and other grounds during his work as a statistics
analyst. But, of course, it is his feats on the pitch which will be his legacy. A league and
European champion by the age of 21, it seemed Shaw had the world at his feet.
A cruel injury meant he was never able to continue the upward trajectory of those early years
in a Villa shirt but he had already written himself into the club’s folklore. After making his
debut at just 17, Shaw was still a teenager when he finished as the club’s top scorer in the
1979-80 season.
It was the following campaign that etched his name into Villa history when his strike
partnership with Peter Withe helped Ron Saunders’ men to the First Division title. A year
later he lifted Europe’s greatest prize when Villa, now led by Tony Barton, overcame a
Bayern Munich side littered with talents like Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Paul Breitner and
Klaus Augenthaler, winning 1-0 in Rotterdam.
Molineux’s WV1 bar hosted a brilliant event on Wednesday afternoon. Show Racism the
Red Card’s 2024 Schools Awards showcased some brilliant writing, artistry and musical
performances from school pupils up and down the country.
The event was made possible by the tremendous work of school teachers across the UK,
ensuring anti-racism education is at the heart of their work.
Sponsors such as the National Education Union, UNISON, Unite the Union, the Professional
Footballers’ Association, Fire Brigades Union, Kickers, Potts Print UK, ASLEF, the Prison
Officers Association, Thompson’s Solicitors and the Football Association continue to back
the organisation’s great work in football and the classroom.
