Aston Villa to hold minute's applause for Cyrille Regis
Villa have announced they will hold a minute’s applause in tribute to Cyrille Regis ahead of Saturday’s home game with Barnsley.
Regis, who died on Monday aged 59, made 54 appearances for Villa between 1991 and 1993.
An iconic figure in the game, Regis played a major role in breaking down racial barriers during his time at Albion in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The legendary striker, who also won the FA Cup while with Coventry, was one of Ron Atkinson’s first signings after he took over at Villa in 1991.
Atkinson had been Regis’s manager at the Baggies and - speaking to the Express & Star earlier this week – explained how the move to Villa came about.
He said: “I had watched Cyrille play a few times for Coventry the previous season, when I heard he was going to be released I thought, ‘we’ll have him’.
“He’d maybe lost a bit of his pace but he was still a formidable player. For two seasons he was great for us.”
Albion are set to hold a major celebration in memory of Regis at their next home game.
Plans are already being drawn up on how to honour the legendary striker when Southampton visit on Saturday, February 3.
An announcement is expected at the start of next week, but the celebrations are likely to bear similarities to Astle Day in April 2015, when the club honoured FA Cup-winning striker Jeff Astle.
Regis, who earned five England caps during his career, also spent a season with Wolves in 1993-94.
