Charlie Aitken (footballer, born 1942)
 Aitken in 2006 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Alexander Aitken | ||
| Date of birth | 1 May 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 29 October 2023 (aged 81) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gorebridge Juniors | |||
| Edinburgh Thistle | |||
| 1959–1961 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1976 | Aston Villa | 660 | (16) |
| 1976–1977 | New York Cosmos | 24 | (0) |
| Total | 680 | (14) | |
| International career | |||
| 1961–1962[1] | Scotland U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 1962[2] | SFA trial v SFL | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Charles Alexander Aitken (1 May 1942 – 29 October 2023) was a Scottish footballer most associated with Aston Villa. Aitken is the West Midlands club's all-time record appearance-maker, having played 660 times for them. A left-back, he joined Villa as a youth in 1959. He debuted for the first team in the 1960-61 season and played for the club until 1976, before embarking on a one-year spell with the New York Cosmos where he made 24 appearances.
Aitken played for Villa in the top three tiers of English football, winning the Third Division and the League Cup during his time at the club. He also scored 16 goals for Villa and was capped by the Scotland Under-23s.
Aitken's 660 games have him atop Villa's appearance charts, with Billy Walker on 531 and Gordon Cowans on 527.[3]
Charlie Aitken died on 29 October 2023, at the age of 81.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ Scotland U23 player Aitken, Charlie, FitbaStats
- ^ Ronnie McDevitt (2016). Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785312458.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Aston Villa legend Aitken dies, aged 81". BBC Sport. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Tribute to Charlie Aitken". Aston Villa Football Club. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
External links[edit]
- Charlie Aitken at Soccerbase
- nasljerseys.com with Aitken's North American statistics
- Aston Villa Player Database
  | This biographical article related to a defender from Scotland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1942 births
- 2023 deaths
- Scottish men's footballers
- Footballers from Edinburgh
- Men's association football defenders
- Scotland men's under-23 international footballers
- English Football League players
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- New York Cosmos (1970–1985) players
- Scottish expatriate men's footballers
- Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Scottish football defender stubs