Holte End hero Gerry Hitchens and Villa

But one man who will always bring a smile to those of a certain vintage on the Holte End is trailblazing striker Gerry Hitchens.

Born in Rawnsley, near Hednesford, in 1934, the striker is best remembered in England for his prolific period with the Villans, after being snapped up from Cardiff City.

Yet Hitchens was never your average centre-forward. As a 15-year-old, he worked in the coal mines in Shropshire.

After impressing for junior team Highley Miners, he signed amateur forms with Kidderminster Harriers.

The next big step in his career saw him join Cardiff City, who snapped him up for £1,500 in 1955.

Two years later, after 57 goals in 108 matches for the Bluebirds, he was on his way to Villa Park, after the two clubs agreed a £22,500 transfer fee.

Despite the cult status he would soon enjoy, Hitchens had a debut to forget following a 2-0 home defeat to fierce rivals Birmingham City.

But, by the end of the 1957-58 campaign, he had found the target 11 times and followed that up the next season with a 16-goal haul.

Now nicknamed 'Champion the Wonder Horse' by team-mates, because of his speed and mane of blond hair, Hitchens really caught fire.

He went on to score 23 times as Villa claimed the Second Division title. He continued his prolific form so that, in total, he bagged 96 goals in 160 league and cup appearances.

By the summer of 1961, 26-year-old Hitchens was ready for a new challenge – and when Italian giants Inter came calling, the lure proved too much to resist.

Hitchens had been spotted while playing for England against Italy in a friendly match in May 1961, with the Villa man netting twice in a 3-2 victory.

It was that match which dramatically changed both his life and career. Despite being an international, Hitchens was as good as forgotten once he left British shores.

In today's game, a move to a European giant would almost guarantee you an international career.

But, in the 1960s, it extinguished one. That meant Hitchens was not a part of the England's 1966 squad that went on to win the World Cup.

Nevertheless, England's loss was Italy's gain and Hitchens became a superstar in his adopted home.

Biographer Simon Goodyear said: "In Italy he is fondly remembered, he and his wife were the 'Posh and Becks' of their day.

"He was the first Englishman to make his name in the country and the press followed him everywhere he went.

"His blond hair and light skin made him stand out and he became a very popular figure."

In total, Hitchens spent eight years in Italy with the forward also playing for Torino, Atalanta and Cagliari after scoring 17 goals in 39 games at Inter Milan.

Back in the UK, Hitchens wound down his career at Worcester City before a final spell with Welsh outfit Merthyr Tydfil.

He retired in the early 1970s but tragically died in 1983, aged just 48, from a heart attack while playing in a charity football match.