Andy_Blair_(footballer)
Andy Blair (footballer)
Scottish footballer
Andrew Blair (born 18 December 1959) is a former footballer who was born in Scotland but grew up in England and spent his career in English football. He played in the Aston Villa team that beat Barcelona 3–0 at Villa Park to win the 1982 European Super Cup.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Blair[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1959-12-18) 18 December 1959 (age 64)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kirkcaldy,[1] Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1981 | Coventry City | 93 | (6) |
| 1981–1984 | Aston Villa | 33 | (0) |
| 1983 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 1984–1986 | Sheffield Wednesday | 58 | (3) |
| 1986–1988 | Aston Villa | 21 | (1) |
| 1987–1988 | → Barnsley (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | Northampton Town | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 224 | (10) | |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1982 | Scotland U21[3] | 5 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Blair grew up in Bedworth, Warwickshire, and was educated at Nicholas Chamberlaine School in the town. He made his league debut for Coventry City, whom he had joined as an apprentice, on 28 October 1978 in a 2–1 win against Birmingham City. He also played top-flight football at Aston Villa (in two separate spells) where he won the Charity Shield in 1981 (shared)[4] and the European Cup in 1982 as an unused substitute.[5] Blair also played for Sheffield Wednesday and on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In November 1984, while playing for Sheffield Wednesday against Luton Town, he achieved the unusual distinction of being the first player to ever score a hat-trick of penalties in the League Cup.[6]
He also appeared for Barnsley and Northampton Town, before a knee injury ended his professional career in 1989, at the age of 30. He is currently working as a scout for Stoke City.
Blair's son Matty also played for Kidderminster Harriers.
- "Andy Blair". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- "Andrew Blair". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- "1981/82 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- "Sheffield Wednesday Official Website". 12 June 2007. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008.
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