Kent Nielsen - Next Up In The Cult Heroes Hotseat

You know one of these days my fingers are going to get me into trouble with the Cult Heroes features!

Danish Centre Half Kent Nielsen has been next in line for the official sites' feature and to read all the questions and answers please Click Here.

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What can you remember about joining Villa?

When I came to Villa from Brondby I was 27 and it was a step up - the right move and the right time. At the time, there weren't so many foreigners in England and in the first month or two I found it difficult to cope with the pace. But when I got used to it I really enjoyed myself. Graham Taylor was a great manager and we had some good players. He built a really strong team in my first season, and I was immediately made to feel welcome at the club.

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Who do you rate as the best central defender you played alongside?

Paul McGrath. We arrived at Villa at the same time and we stayed in the same hotel for the first couple of months, so I got to know him well. On the pitch, he had a bit of everything and he is definitely the best centre-half I played alongside.

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Is it true that the Holte End net needed repairing after your long-range strike against Inter Milan in 1990?

It would be nice to say yes - that would be a really good story! But sadly, no, it didn't. If it hadn't been on television maybe we could pretend that the net broke, but we can't. Even so, I was pleased with that goal. It was a great feeling to score from that distance against a team like Inter. English teams had just been allowed back into European competition after a five-year ban, and there was a lot of focus on us. There was a fantastic atmosphere at Villa Park that night, and to score a goal like that was one of the highlights of my career. I was just disappointed that we lost 3-0 in Milan after winning the first leg 2-0. But Inter were very strong; they went on to win the UEFA Cup that season.

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Tell us about the famous 6-2 victory over against Everton...

I recall it clearly - because I scored that day! Gordon Cowans took a corner and I headed my first goal in English football. That was a time when we were really on a high and everything seemed to be going for us. We didn't have the best players individually - although David Platt was on his way to being world-class - but as a squad we really gelled because everyone worked so hard.

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