Charles Alexander Aitken (born 1 May 1942 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish former footballer.
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Charles Alexander Aitken | ||
Date of birth | (1942-05-01) 1 May 1942 (age 80) | ||
Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
Position(s) | Left back | ||
Youth career | |||
Gorebridge Juniors | |||
Edinburgh Thistle | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1959–1976 | Aston Villa | 561 | (14) |
1976–1977 | New York Cosmos | 24 | (0) |
Total | 585 | (14) | |
National team | |||
1961–1962[1] | Scotland U23 | 3 | (0) |
1962[2] | SFA trial v SFL | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Aitken is the all-time record appearance holder at English club Aston Villa. He played for Villa from August 1959 until May 1976, a period of 17 seasons. He came to Villa to accompany his friend Wilson Briggs, also a left back, to a trial. They were both taken on, but Briggs ended up playing just two games in his career. Aitken was a member of the 1975 League Cup winning team, having been a runner-up in 1971. He spent the last two seasons of his professional career in the NASL with the New York Cosmos, playing alongside the greats of Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer.
Football League Second Division
Football League Third Division
Football League Cup
FA Charity Shield
Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
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Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
1960–61 | Aston Villa | First Division | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 |
1961–62 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 0 | ||
1962–63 | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | – | 53 | 0 | ||
1963–64 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 1 | ||
1964–65 | 42 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 53 | 3 | ||
1965–66 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 48 | 1 | ||
1966–67 | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 0 | ||
1967–68 | Second Division | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 0 | |
1968–69 | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 47 | 0 | ||
1969–70 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 0 | ||
1970–71 | Third Division | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | – | – | 55 | 1 | |
1971–72 | 43 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 50 | 4 | ||
1972–73 | Second Division | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 1 | |
1973–74 | 38 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 43 | 2 | ||
1974–75 | 42 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1 | – | – | 55 | 2 | ||
1975–76 | First Division | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
Career total | 561 | 14 | 35 | 1 | 61 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 659 | 16 |
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