Played for Villa: 1935-1949
Position: Full back
Appearances: 232
A tough defender, Cummings made a name for himself in Scotland, where he'd represented his country three times. He was part of Villa's panic-buy spree of 1935-1936, signed for a formidable £8,000 in a rush deal in an Edinburgh cafe, after Billy Smith saw him excel for his country at Tynecastle. He proved to be a great investment, staying with the club through its re-promotion, and even beyond the war years, when he took on the captaincy. Further international caps followed as Cummings consolidated his position as one of the stars of his day, and was reputedly a playful character who liked to take risks and dribble around opposition players for fun, just because he could. Villa historian, Peter Morris, saw him play against Stoke: "Perhaps his finest performance for the Villa was reserved for Aston in the early part of 1939 when he completely mastered Stanley Matthews. I believe that no other full-back save Cummings has ever succeeded in entirely subduing the great Stanley for ninety minutes." Villa won that game, 3-0.
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Position: Full back
Appearances: 232
A tough defender, Cummings made a name for himself in Scotland, where he'd represented his country three times. He was part of Villa's panic-buy spree of 1935-1936, signed for a formidable £8,000 in a rush deal in an Edinburgh cafe, after Billy Smith saw him excel for his country at Tynecastle. He proved to be a great investment, staying with the club through its re-promotion, and even beyond the war years, when he took on the captaincy. Further international caps followed as Cummings consolidated his position as one of the stars of his day, and was reputedly a playful character who liked to take risks and dribble around opposition players for fun, just because he could. Villa historian, Peter Morris, saw him play against Stoke: "Perhaps his finest performance for the Villa was reserved for Aston in the early part of 1939 when he completely mastered Stanley Matthews. I believe that no other full-back save Cummings has ever succeeded in entirely subduing the great Stanley for ninety minutes." Villa won that game, 3-0.
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