Ron Wylie: Ex-Aston Villa, Birmingham City & Notts County player dies, aged 86

Ron Wylie served as player, assistant manager, reserve team boss and scout for Aston Villa

Former Aston Villa and Birmingham City player Ron Wylie, who later went on to manage West Bromwich Albion, has died at the age of 86.

Glasgow-born Wylie, who started his career with Notts County, passed away after a long illness.

Wylie won the League Cup with Villa in 1961 and was Blues captain in the 1968 FA Cup semi-final defeat by Albion.

The former inside forward, who managed the Baggies between 1982 and 1984, had various backroom staff roles at Villa.

Former Worcester & Scotland centre Alex Grove on Twitter, on his late grandfather, Ron Wylie

As well as coaching assignments abroad in Hong Kong and Cyprus, he also worked on the coaching staff at Coventry City in Gordon Milne's time as manager.

The Scot never represented his country, but his grandson did - former Worcester Warriors, Edinburgh and London Scottish rugby union centre Alex Grove, who qualified through his grandfather.

Wylie's time as Albion boss came in their top flight days between July 1982, when he succeeded Ronnie Allen, to February 1984, when he was replaced by the return of Johnny Giles.

The adopted Midlander made over 550 career appearances as a player, spending eight years at Notts County before moving in 1958 to Villa, with whom he won promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt in 1960, before then making his final move across the city in 1965, to St Andrew's, where he spent the next five years.