The Championship

[Dave P]

Remember when Villa were a Championship team?  Seems ages ago now.  Anyway, what were your main memories from the 3 years in the division?  Good and bad.

[DennisHodgetts]

Best Memory-Yesterday!

[wittonwarrior]

The main one is how the hard core of our support stuck with the villa- we were a top division club playing in a league below us

The lessons we handed out to blooose. Even Hutton had his magical moment

Jack coming of age and who ultimately carried us back to the cash tills premiership

[danno]

Beating Rotherham for our first win in ages was cathartic. Snodgrass and Terry bucking the trend of our senior pros being wasters. Hutton making more comebacks than Frank Sinatra. Grealish being the most fouled player in the championship and made the pantomime villain at every away ground. Villa's games seemingly always being chosen for Sky. Comfortably beating Wolves. The 5-5 with Forest. The single appearance of Roberto Cabbagio, prodigal sons returning, the 3-3 with the Blades, Hutton's Moses impression, Pulis placed back in his box, Bristol City ideas above station, Steer penalty saves and McGinn making the energiser bunny look like Fat Ross.

[West Derby Villan]

"Proper"away fans

Really shit officials

[Damo70]

The positives - SKY turning into AVTV and showing us live every week and sometimes twice or three times a week. Looking forward to every game knowing we stood a decent chance of winning any given game home and away.

The downside - crap officials and the EFL highlights show on QUEST. Although at least it is on earlier than MOTD.

[Ad@m]

Singing "Just for one season, we fancied a change!"

I just wish we'd carried it on in the 2nd and 3rd seasons!!!!

[Godfrey Brian]

One bad- An early midweek match against Huddersfield and them equalising via a ridiculous rebound off a tubby substitute at the end. Realised it wasn't going to be as smooth a return as I'd  hoped.

One good-  Going 2-1 up in the play off semi against WBA after the grief they'd given us.Realised it wasn't going to be as smooth a return as I'd hoped but we had the guts to do it against anyone.

[Richie]

The tremendous support - full houses against the likes of Bristol City with the crowd acting as the 12th man.

Filling out allocations away from home, regardless of distance or whether it was a Saturday or Tuesday night.

The Tuesday night at Reading when we finally won away from home again, with around 5,000 fans behind the goal will live long in the memory.

[Chipsticks]

We can always say that in even in our darkest years, we still absolutely did the business over the Blues. Surely the last 3 years was their best chance at beating us in the league?

Random high - Kodjia's acrobatic late winner at home to Fulham in the first season down

Random low - Going 1-0 down to Shef Wednesday after about 30 seconds

[Damo70]

The tremendous support - full houses against the likes of Bristol City with the crowd acting as the 12th man.

Filling out allocations away from home, regardless of distance or whether it was a Saturday or Tuesday night.

The Tuesday night at Reading when we finally won away from home again, with around 5,000 fans behind the goal will live long in the memory.

It was a different Reading ground and the division had a different name but our trip to Elm Park in 1988 was a fun day out. We won 2-0 and I thought McInally and Birch got our goals but when I checked it was actually Thompson and Birch.

[AV82EC]

Highs - away allocations, some great away trips for some reason I especially enjoyed Sheffield and South York’s clubs like Rotherham and Barnsley, re-finding my love after it has been beaten out of me since the late MON days and the 09/10 nearly season, Grealish becoming a man, Dean Smith.

Lows - officiating was particularly bad on occasion, that 3-0 at Wigan, Steve Bruce, Brentford becoming our bogey club, the M6 J19 to J13.

Overall I’ve enjoyed it but........

[Des Little]

Low that springs to mind was Di Matteo’s finale - Preston away and realising that we could well be down for a long, long time.

One of many highs was the euphoria of Reading away when Ayew slotted that pen. I doubt Reading’s fans fully understood the reason for the limbs! Brilliant

[OzVilla]

Well I’m obviously commenting from a distance but highs - increasing the VP average attendance over the 3 years to the point where we were selling out. The one thing I heard from Blose and Albion was “give it a few years in the championship and see where your attendances are” well they actually went up tossers. Undeniably this club has tremendous support.

Low point - losing the play offs and looking like we were going bust the next week - doesn’t get any worse than that.

[Deano's Mullet]

I will always fondly remember the three years in this divsion.
First game i went to was Rotherham at home - 3 nil win and our first win in about seven months. Gestede looking like a centre forward and Super Jack dancing through their defence to make it three nil. Two noses at Moor St Station trying to be tough against a platform full of Villa afterwards.
Fulham at home - actually sat in the North Stand with a Fulham fan. Even he was dazzled by Kodjia's goal.
Wigan at home - worst game ever but what a fabulous last minute winner from Grealish. Then shopping in the city afterwards in the German Christmas Market.
Stopping Brighton winning the title in the last game was fantastic too seeing as i love down sarf.

Following season - much better overall and lots of decent games. Norwich at home was terrific with a Conor hat-trick. Terry scoring against an angry Fulham crowd and their bitter fans on the train afterwards. Seeing Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi on the pitch at half time vs Burton was great. The playoff final itself was a great day except for the actual match.

This season - Wigan at home and John McGinn already on day one looking like player of the season. Some terrific games but a lot of them down to some pathetic Villa defending. Losing to WBA at home was a real downer yet within two or three months we've leap frogged them in to the Premiership. Great football, great goals and a much more positive manager in charge - and hes a local Villa fan too! I couldnt get a ticket for this years final which was gutting and having experienced last years atmosphere i knew what i was missing - and this year we actually won it!

And of course our record vs Blues......

Goodbye championship and thanks for the memories.