As a nipper who started going regularly in the late 1960s Andy Lochhead evokes many memories - my first big night at Villa Park was the 1970 semi against Manyoo where he headed us level, that undershot shot in the final at Wembley, the winner against Bournemouth and him receiving the Midland player of the year award before a 5-1 drubbing of Torquay.
Other than the Torquay game, the first 3 memories were all captured on tv. An abiding memory that wasn’t was the moving ovation he received when returning with Oldham, as a coach IIRC, just before we were promoted in 1975. In the final home match of that season against Sunderland , Doug Ellis, in a rare moment of grasping the mood of fans, said in his programme notes that his moment of the season had been the tribute that Andy Lochhead had received at Villa Park. I don’t think any returning player has ever received the same reception that he did that day at Villa Park and it triggers a happy memory.
