Aston Villa and Cardiff City are set to remember former legend Peter Whittingham ahead of their upcoming FA Cup fifth-round tie at Villa Park on Friday night.
Villa's 1897 Group is set to unfurl a huge flag in the lower North Stand of Villa to commemorate the former Villa and Cardiff midfielder just before kick-off, having raised over £750 in just one day to pay for the banner.
Surplus donations, believed to be £461.29, were subsequently given to the Peter Whittingham Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of children and young people across the UK.
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Whittingham tragically passed away at the age of 35 in March 2020 after sustaining a head injury from a fall, and his death sparked an outpouring of grief from in both the Welsh capital and England's Second City.
The Englishman joined Villa in April 2001 and was part of the club's FA Youth Cup-winning team in 2002, making his senior debut a year later.
He would go on to make a total of 66 appearances for the Villans, before embarking on loan spells at Burnley and Derby County.
Whittingham moved to the Bluebirds for £350,000 in 2007, and would go on to become a club legend after scoring 98 goals in 459 appearances, before departing in 2017.
Speaking about the player's influence on the club, Cardiff boss Omer Riza said: "I knew about him as a player. In his time, he was one of the best players in the Championship.
“He was a very exciting player and could anything at any moment. Since I’ve come into this club, I know what he means to the fans, the staff around the place and the legacy that he’s left.
“Whatever we can do with his foundation, it’s really important. I think that club does that really well, with Sol Bamba, with Whittingham and with other players in the past, they take the time to remember them and that’s really important.”
If you would like to donate to the PW7 Foundation, you can do so here.
