Cox was an up-and-coming defender who had made just 17 league appearances for Scunthorpe when he moved to Villa Park in 1991.
At the time, the fee was a record for the Iron.
Decades on, when some old seats needed to be replaced at Glanford Park this summer, Julie Taylor, a liaison officer for the club, was able to recall the finer details of the deal.
“I heard Villa were revamping their stadium,” she explained. “I called their secretary and asked, ‘Is there any chance we could have some seats, 35 years later, after selling Neil Cox to you?’
“He said, ‘Yes, we’re just going to throw them out’.”