Aston Villa have just lost their legendary goalkeeper, Jimmy Rimmer. He passed away yesterday at the age of 78.
His name might be better known as that of one of the unluckiest goalkeepers in European Cup history despite winning two winners’ medals. A neck injury forced him to leave the pitch after only nine minutes in the 1982 final, while in his first European Cup final in 1968, he was an unused substitute for Manchester United.
Nevertheless, Rimmer remains worthy of recognition for his contribution to Villa’s run to the final. He was the first-choice goalkeeper and featured in all eight matches of the 1982 European Cup campaign, from the first round to the semi-final. Among those matches, three stood out as some of his finest performances in Europe.
Villa’s opponents in the second round were considered one of the toughest teams to beat at the time. Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest had experienced firsthand how difficult it was to overcome the East German side in the quarterfinals two years earlier.
In the first leg, the Lions were fortunate to secure a narrow 2-1 victory. Yet, according to a report in The Guardian, two key figures were widely praised for their unexpected triumph.
“They (Aston Villa) would owe a great debt of gratitude to both keeper Jimmy Rimmer and flying winger Morley.”
Rimmer produced a brilliant save from the rebound after Dynamo Berlin’s Artur Ulrich struck the post from the penalty spot. The goalkeeper reacted quickly to tip the follow-up effort over the crossbar.
Then, it was Morley‘s pace and attacking threat that helped Villa secure the decisive winning goal.
In the second leg, Villa suffered a 1-0 defeat but still advanced to the next round. However, they could easily have been eliminated had Rimmer not produced another superb save. He denied Hans-Jürgen Riediger’s late effort with an excellent stop near the post.
In the semi-final, Villa’s goalkeeper once again produced several crucial saves. In the first leg at Villa Park against Tomislav Ivic’s Anderlecht, Rimmer stepped up to keep the clean sheet.
The Belgian champions posed a significant threat on the counterattack, particularly down the right flank, but three of their attempts were denied by the Villa goalkeeper.
The shot stopper with only one international cap saved a long-range effort from Juan Lozano, stopped Frank Vercauteren’s strike, and denied Michel De Groote from close range inside the six-yard box.
His performance at Villa Park contributed heavily to Tony Barton‘s side reaching the final. In the return leg, Villa employed a much deeper defensive line to hold the hosts to a goalless draw. The former Manchester United and Arsenal goalkeeper’s contribution throughout the campaign was truly second to none.
RIP Jimmy Rimmer.
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