Aston Villa's European Cup-winning captain Dennis Mortimer is on a mission to reclaim iconic kit when Bayern Munich come to town

Sitting connected a mini woody chair successful a mini woody hut successful nan grounds of a plot centre successful Staffordshire is 1 of a prime group of typical footballing men. To his broadside — gleaming a small arsenic nan ray filters done nan doorway — is impervious of his membership. Dennis Mortimer and nan European Cup. Forty-two years aft Aston Villa shocked Bayern Munich successful nan last in

Rotterdam, they still look rather astatine location together.

Mortimer is 72 now, a small grey. He was Villa's skipper backmost then, backmost erstwhile they did what cipher thought possible. When he lifted nan trophy that nighttime successful 1982, he was only nan 4th Englishman to do so, aft Bobby Charlton, Emlyn Hughes and Phil Thompson. Others person followed. Not many, arsenic acold arsenic we know, person paid to person a full-size replica of nan trophy made for their home.

'When we won it, nan nine had immoderate small versions made by Royal Worcester and offered them to us,' Mortimer says. 'They charged america £150 each!

'I bought 1 but it's not nan aforesaid arsenic this, is it? I still deliberation it's perfectly beautiful.'

Bayern will beryllium successful Birmingham connected Wednesday night. Villa are successful Europe's premier title for nan first clip since Mortimer and his pack fell to Juventus successful nan past 8 trying to take sides their trophy successful 1982-83. This year's tie has been kind, a small romanticist even, and Unai Emery's squad will big nan German nine successful their first Champions League location game.

The people of 1982 will beryllium there; a meal is planned. For Mortimer it's an opportunity to spot his mates and, he hopes, switch a fewer memories pinch men for illustration Bayern committee personnel Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who played successful nan Rotterdam final.

Equally, this week represents an opportunity for nan erstwhile Villa midfielder to proceed connected a quest that he suspects will not person a happy ending.

In nan dressing room that nighttime successful Holland, Mortimer and his team-mates were asked to time off their strips connected nan level truthful that they could beryllium exchanged pinch Bayern shirts from adjacent door. Mortimer obliged and has regretted it ever since. Quite simply, he would for illustration his garment back.

'Some of nan lads exchanged shirts consecutive distant connected nan field, but I wanted to cod nan trophy wearing my Villa shirt,' Mortimer says.

'In nan dressing room nan kit man Jim Paul asked america for shirts to return successful to Bayern. I wasn't peculiarly bothered. Rummenigge's had already gone. Paul Breitner's had gone. Dieter Hoeness had gone. Peter Withe had sewage Klaus Augenthaler. And he sewage his back. He went to Bayern and did a swap.

'So nan large names had gone and I really thought astatine nan time, "Do Bayern really want our shirts anyway? I mean, who are we?"

'Jim came backmost pinch nan Bayern ones. I picked 1 up, nan No3. I put it successful my container and disconnected we went.'

Mortimer's hunt for his garment has already been publicised successful Germany. Bayern person done what they can. This appeal, he feels, whitethorn good beryllium his past shot.

'What happened that nighttime is each hypothetical. Did their skipper Breitner spell successful and look for nan Villa captain's shirt? Did my other number return it? Did they return immoderate of them? We weren't Juventus aliases Liverpool aliases Manchester United. Had we been, past they each would person wanted one.

'I conscionable want to get my garment backmost for my family. I americium really hoping that Hoeness and Rummenigge will beryllium astatine nan crippled and I tin inquire them if they retrieve what happened. I dream their English is good, because I don't speak immoderate German…'

Villa's triumph successful Europe came astatine a clip of singular English dominance. Liverpool successful 1977 and 1978. Nottingham Forest successful 1979 and 1980. Liverpool again successful 1981.

Nobody really saw Villa coming, though. The twelvemonth earlier they won nan First Division title successful 1981, they vanished seventh but nether Ron Saunders, utilizing only 14 players, Villa held disconnected Ipswich to triumph nan convention adjacent clip round. Mortimer played each 2nd of nan 42-game season.

'You ne'er complained,' he says.

'Nobody ever asked really we were. Especially not nan manager. You didn't want him to. We each wanted to play.'

Villa's squad was bolstered by nan goals of nan powerful Withe and his young apprentice Gary Shaw. Solihull-born, Shaw was only 19 astatine nan commencement of nan title season. By nan extremity of nan next, he was a European Cup winner. Tragically, aged 63, Shaw died earlier this month.

'He was 1 of our champions and this is conscionable excessively soon,' Mortimer says. 'Gary had everything. I erstwhile told a mag he would beryllium nan adjacent Kenny Dalglish. I thought he would beryllium that good. He had that subtlety.

'He would seldom usage unit to score. It would beryllium a subtle side-foot aliases curl aliases bend. Had it not been for his injury, he would person played for England galore times. He won't beryllium location pinch america adjacent week and I still can't rather get my caput information that.'

Villa's travel done Europe was emblematic of nan time. Valur of Iceland were dispatched comfortably successful Round 1, but it sewage harder from that point, arsenic Villa had to hit Dynamo Berlin and Dynamo Kiev earlier winning a semi-final against Anderlecht.

Gordon Cowans, Villa's beautifully cultured midfielder, has talked of cockroaches successful nan breadstuff rolls earlier nan crippled against Kiev.

Mortimer says: 'I didn't spot cockroaches but I saw nan bedrooms. Army work beds.

'But we weren't location connected a leisure trip. For maine it was a chance to spot down nan Iron Curtain. I had seen capable spy films connected TV to beryllium funny and thought it looked a spot of a dull place. Then you get location and realise you are precisely right.

'There was virtually nary colour. Everyone wore black. You didn't spot a reddish car aliases a bluish car. The group seemed to person a dense load connected their shoulders.

'But I wanted to find retired astir these places. It was astir life experience.'

Incredibly, earlier nan past eight, Villa mislaid their manager. Saunders resigned aft a falling-out pinch nan board. His adjunct Tony Barton took over.

After only a fewer minutes of nan final, Villa mislaid goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer. Nigel Spink, pinch 1 first-team crippled to his name, replaced him.

The winning extremity remains a point of unusual and memorable wonder. A transverse from Tony Morley and a decorativeness from Withe collapsed successful disconnected nan station from a matter of yards. The truth is, he astir missed it.

'Tony ever tells him it came disconnected his shin. He wants group to cognize what a awesome walk it was.

'The extremity is each that matters but it will ever bug Peter. We don't fto him hide it, but if it was maine I would emotion that because it would mean that group were still talking astir me. If you people goals, group retrieve you.'

For Mortimer, a Liverpudlian sold to Villa by Jimmy Hill's Coventry successful 1975, it was each astir nan trophy. In galore ways, it still is.

'It was our move to effort and support that trophy successful Britain,' he says.

'Whenever I utilized to spot a skipper lifting a trophy, I would deliberation astir really overmuch I wanted to do it.

'Not conscionable for maine but for nan squad and fans. Even now erstwhile I watch nan Champions League, it's awesome to spot nan skipper prime it up and callback nan truth that I person done that. To get my hands connected it was each that I ever wanted. It's what shot is each about, isn't it?'

Mortimer is proud of his roots connected Merseyside. Halfway done our conversation, he throws retired a quiz question.

'Name 2 players who some lifted nan European Cup and played for nan aforesaid school,' he says. 'Myself and Phil Thompson.

'Try and find thing for illustration that anyplace successful Europe.'

Mortimer has retired happily successful nan Midlands. Not encumbered by nan bitterness aliases envy that consumes immoderate erstwhile pros, we are talking wrong nan shot memorabilia shop owned by 2 friends successful a Lichfield plot centre.

'I for illustration having these conversations,' he smiles. 'I for illustration coming present and gathering fans aliases doing Q&A sessions. It keeps my mind ticking over.'

For a while, nan squad of 1982 did not consciousness peculiarly invited astatine Villa Park. Mortimer blames nan precocious president Doug Ellis and is happy to study it's different now.

'A definite feline didn't for illustration nan thought of paying for ex-players to do firm hospitality,' Mortimer says.

'I don't person a problem pinch nan money nan players get now, only nan theatrics. Jack Grealish utilized to move maine disconnected because he kept diving and I thought it was disrespectful.

'We didn't do it. Nobody feigned injury. If you weren't wounded you would get up.

'But it's a awesome shot nine and I americium very proud of it. The important point we person near down for Aston Villa is nan history.

'At nan moment, we are nan top post-war Villa team. It doesn't make you consciousness smug but it's a awesome feeling.

'It's awesome to spot what's happening now. The crippled against Bayern should beryllium typical and it will beryllium bully to spot immoderate of their guys.

'Our statement successful 1982 had a £1,200 prize clause successful it to triumph nan European Cup. We were told Bayern were connected £15,000 a man to triumph it.

'It was only a rumour, though. I tin inquire them adjacent week, can't I?'