Dennis Mortimer

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Dennis Mortimer
Dennis Mortimer
Personal information
Full name Dennis Mortimer
Date of birth 5 April 1952
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Retired
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1969-1975
1975-1985
1985
1985-19??
Coventry City
Aston Villa
Brighton & Hove Albion
Birmingham City
192 (10)
317 (36)
- (-)
- (-)
National team
England U-23
England B
- (-)
- (-)

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.

Dennis Mortimer (born 5 April 1952 in Liverpool, England) was an English footballer and distinguished captain of Aston Villa.

Mortimer began his career with Coventry City, where he came through the ranks and made over 200 appearances as a promising midfielder of considerable talent. It was his accomplished displays for Coventry which attracted the attention of several top clubs. In the end Mortimer decided four points, but the success which followed in the next year exceeded all expectations. Dennis was the man who led the team to that historic win in Rotterdam which made Aston Villa European Champions. A 1-0 over Bayern Munich in the De Kuip Stadium was courtesy of a Peter Withe goal which allowed Mortimer the distinction of being the first Villa Captain to hold aloft the famous trophy.

Mortimer was Villa's driving force and one of a band of players who, for reasons best known to successive England managers, was denied full honours. Under-23 and B caps were scarcely a fitting reward for who can only be considered a legendary player. From 1975 to 1985 he made 403 appearances for Villa scoring 36 goals.

Following on from his time at Villa, Dennis moved to Brighton but was only there a year before returning to the Midlands with Birmingham City, thereby breaking the second-city taboo by playing for City and Villa.

Dennis regularly attends Aston Villa games to this day and sometimes provides commentary on the club's games with the club's radio station, The Villan. He is regarded as one of Aston Villa's true legends.

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