Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Chico Hamilton III on May 10, 2016, 01:01:10 PM
-
Come on me babbies!!
The Sunday Times
May 8 1988, Sunday
Football Focus: Villa through as promotion rival tumbles
BYLINE: JASON TOMAS
ASTON VILLA, transformed by the arrival of Graham Taylor as manager 12 months ago, are back in the First Division. Few supporters who watched their 0-0 draw at Swindon yesterday will forget the dramatic manner in which they booked their place among the elite.
Middlesbrough had been favourites to clinch the remaining automatic promotion spot, but their surprise defeat by Leicester, and Villa's result, brought the two teams level on points and also goal difference. But it was Villa who opened the celebratory champagne bottles because they had scored five more.
Villa's keeper, Nigel Spink, said afterwards that although the spectators behind his goal had kept him infomred of how the other promotion-contenders were faring ('I would have needed to be deaf not to hear them') he didn't tell his team mates. 'They kept asking me what was happening but I just told them to get on with it.'
Boro will have another chance of reaching the First Division, in the play-offs. So will Bradford, who crumbled 3-2 at home to Ipswich, and Blackburn, who won 4-1 at Millwall. But will Boro's young team be able to overcome the tension? That was their major problem against Leicester, according to their manager, Bruce Rioch. 'We noticed before the match that some of the lads were uptight. That buns up energy.'
Blackburn's win at Millwall denied Crystal Palace a place in the play-offs. After Palace's 2-0 win over Manchester City, their manager, Steve Coppell, suggested that Blackburn might have been helped by the fact that Millwall had already clinched the Second Division championship. Against that, though, Wolves, the Fourth Division champions, ended Leyton Orient's promotion hopes by beating them 2-0 at Brisbane Road.
THE NATURE of yesterday's last full League programme of the season was summed up by the knowledge that no fewer than 27 of the 92 teams still had something to play for, other than pride. The teams who made sure of going up, apart from Aston Villa, were Brighton and Bolton; those who went down were Reading and Grimsby.
-
What a great day that was.
-
I remember frantically walking round my old flat - tv on and switching between radio stations to get up to date with what was going on elsewhere. Promoted by the narrowest of margins and I never thought we'd ever lose our place at the top table again.
-
28 years ago?
-
oh yes
-
28 years ago?
Pedant!
-
What a great day that was.
I was 11, pinned up the fence on my first away trip. It was a special day as it was, made better by an ace copper collected various coins that had found there way onto the pitch side and gave them to me, then grabbed Alan McInally from the celebrations and sent him over to say hello to me.
-
God,time goes so quick,hard to believe it is 28 years ago .That game at Swindon was one of the few i missed as i just could not get a ticket .I remember listening on the radio and Villa could not seem to get going and i must admit i thought we were headed for the play offs
-
28 years ago?
Pedant!
Huh, wasn't it?
-
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v-KZJ3TE410