Dennis Mortimer

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Dennis Mortimer
Mortimer with the European Cup in 1982
Personal information
Full name Dennis George Mortimer[1]
Date of birth (1952-04-05) 5 April 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Coventry City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969–1975 Coventry City 193 (10)
1975–1985 Aston Villa 317 (31)
1985 → Sheffield United (loan) 7 (0)
1985–1986 Brighton & Hove Albion 40 (2)
1986–1987 Birmingham City 33 (4)
Redditch United
Total 590 (47)
International career
1972–1973 England U23 6 (2)
1978–1980 England B 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dennis George Mortimer (born 5 April 1952) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder and captained Aston Villa. He made nearly 600 appearances in the Football League playing for Coventry City, Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City.[3]

Playing career[edit]

Mortimer was born in Liverpool. He began his career with Coventry City, where he came through the ranks to make more than 200 first-team appearances as a midfielder. His displays for Coventry attracted the attention of several top clubs, and he joined Aston Villa for £175,000 on Christmas Eve 1975.[4]

Mortimer captained Villa to the 1980–81 Football League championship, the club's first League title for more than 70 years.[4] He then led the team to victory in the 1982 European Cup Final; a 1–0 win against Bayern Munich in the De Kuip Stadium came courtesy of Peter Withe's goal, and made it six years in a row that English teams had lifted the trophy.[5] After the game, Mortimer swapped his match shirt with an unknown Bayern player and has since attempted to recover it.[6] From 1975 to 1985 he made 406 appearances for Villa scoring 36 goals.[4]

After leaving Villa, Mortimer moved to Brighton & Hove Albion but was only there a year before returning to the Midlands with Birmingham City,[1] thereby breaking the second-city taboo by playing for City and Villa.

Mortimer was capped by England at youth[7] and under-23 level[8] and captained England B,[9][10] but was never capped for the full England team.[4]

Post-playing career[edit]

During the 1988–89 season, Mortimer was player-manager of non-league club Redditch United. Mortimer became the PFA football in the community officer at West Bromwich Albion F.C. in 1991. Later he would become reserve team coach under the management of Ossie Ardiles and Keith Burkinshaw. When Ardiles left to coach Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Burkinshaw became manager and Mortimer moved up to first team coach.

He worked for The Professional Football Association as regional director of coaching in the Midlands area from 1996 to 2005.Mortimer joined the Birmingham City Football in the Community coaching scheme in 2006–2007. Mortimer joined the Football Association education coaching department in 2008 where he worked until the end of 2015.[citation needed] Mortimer is now retired. He provided commentary for BBC West Midlands Radio when he first retired from the game.[citation needed]

Mortimer received an honorary doctorate from the University of Worcester in 2011 for "his outstanding contribution to football".[11]

In January 2024, Mortimer was named by Aston Villa as a member of the Honorary Anniversary Board ahead of the club's 150th anniversary season.[12]

Honours[edit]

Aston Villa

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Dennis Mortimer". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  2. ^ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1980). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 54. ISBN 0362020175.
  3. ^ "Dennis Mortimer". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "Villa's Fab 50 top player countdown: 2 Dennis Mortimer". Aston Villa F.C. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  5. ^ Lacey, David (27 May 1982). "Glory night for Spink and Villa". The Guardian – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Kessler, Philipp (6 February 2021). "Englischer Fußball-Held bittet verzweifelt um Hilfe – und bietet legendäres Bayern-Trikot als Gegenleistung" [English soccer hero desperately asks for help – and offers iconic Bayern shirt in return]. TZ.de (in German). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Match results Under-18 1960–1970". England Football Online. Chris Goodwin and Glen Isherwood. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  8. ^ Courtney, Barrie (27 March 2004). "England – U-23 International Results– Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  9. ^ Courtney, Barrie (22 May 2014). "England – International Results B-Team – Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  10. ^ Mortimer, Dennis (22 November 1980). "So proud..." Sports Argus. Birmingham – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Honorary Degrees & Fellowships". University of Worcester. 2011. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  12. ^ "AV 150: Honorary Board Announced". Aston Villa Football Club. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  13. ^ "1981/82 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2019.

External links[edit]

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