Paul Birch Tribute Day

Villa’s match against Chelsea has been nominated the Paul Birch Tribute Day after consultation with the supporters.

Fans will be paying their respects to our former midfielder prior to kick off on Saturday and the initial aim is for fans to have the name Birch and No 7 printed on the back of their shirts to create a fitting tribute to the man.

As the teams emerge from the tunnel, fans are being asked to raise their shirts and join in with the Birchy chants and songs that will ring around the stadium.

Richard Franks, organiser of the tribute said on the official site:

‘If fans are unable to get their shirts printed for any reason, they should bring along Villa shirts and scarves and hold them aloft to increase the sea of claret and blue colour in memory of Paul.’