Thirty-five years since Neil Cox transitioned from Scunthorpe United to Aston Villa, the club continues to honor a unique aspect of that transfer – through seats.
In 1991, when Villa secured the defender for a fee of £400,000, they also agreed to include 2,000 seats for Scunthorpe’s Glanford Park.
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This past summer, as Scunthorpe Stadium Manager Julie Taylor observed Villa renovating the North Stand and the lower seating in the Trinity Stand, she seized the opportunity to request some of the seats to replace the aging ones at Glanford Park. Villa, sharing the claret and blue colors, agreed to her request.
“We weren’t actually owed anything; I just took a chance and asked if they could spare some more!” Taylor shared with BBC West Midlands.
“Our seats are worn and brittle after all these years, so it was worth asking, and that’s exactly what I did.”
“I was quite surprised when they agreed, so I borrowed a van and drove over to collect them. I packed in as many as I could.”
“Neil Cox visited the stadium last week to check out the seats, and he couldn’t believe that this story continues after all this time!”
Catch the full conversation below or on BBC Sounds