Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Risso on May 27, 2023, 08:54:54 AM
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Four years ago today.
(https://i.ibb.co/CKZGwgR/61796326-10157431450065763-8134754675229458432-n.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CKZGwgR)
Just about the most tense last ten minutes of my life, followed by celebrations I'll never forget.
Time for something special today as well, hopefully McGinn and Mings can draw on the memories. Perhaps Dean over at the rabble up the M69 can do similar, good luck to him.
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The run-in at the end of that season was a great period. Real buzz about the club, a long winning run, home games sold out, really big away followings and then a Wembley win to cap it all off.
I remember sinking into my seat at Wembley at the final whistle, just feeling an overwhelming sense of relief more than anything.
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A fantastic day.
Was still pissed in the uni classroom the next day. I did a half Mings and wore a Villa shirt with trousers and shoes.
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I was moving house the day after, had to rush back and finish packing. Don't think I've ever had a more stressful day in my life. Worth it though!
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I had a long-standing commitment to take my mate for dental implant treatment as he doesn't drive and it mieant his missus didn't have to take time off work. I spent all of that match maintaining radio silence and walking around Athlone avoiding anywhere it might be on, such were my nerves. It was well after the game was over and I got home and still didn't know the score, it was my intention to go into the house and get straight on here but I was met in the hall by Mrs S asking me with the saddest face she could muster 'did I know how the Villa had got on?' I said no, I'm just going to find out now but I knew then that we'd done it because my missus has a smiley face and couldn't really disguise things.
When we needed to get a result to better Watford the following season to stay up, I took one of the grandsons fishing, she rang me to ask when would I be home as dinner would be ready soon, she did that with a sad voice so I knew then that we'd survived but didn't know the score until I got home. The woman can't do sad despite being married to me for forty-eight years.
I believe she has a picnic planned for us tomorrow!
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Yeah, those last ten minutes just after they pulled one back seemed to last forever. Brilliant day though.
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I remember it well.
I was watching on the TV in Australia and it was the last time I got completely plastered.
I arranged to have the next day off work just in case and to cope with the tension I drunk 3/4 of a bottle of whiskey during the game.
I knew we had won at the end but little else.
MY wife didn't talk to me for a couple of days and I didn't watch the game back until three days later.
HAppy days.
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Such a brilliant day. Getting the same train back as all the Derby fans from St Pancras was excellent. Me, my mate and SE and his cousin glugging champagne surrounded by pissed off Derby fans. Marvellous.
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I'm still hungover from Rotterdam Day yesterday.
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One of my favourite days, cost me over £500 for the ticket but was sitting just underneath Carew and the future king. Left a holiday early leaving the missus and kid behind, was waiting for my train but didn't really know what I was doing because I never use trains, had a panic attack so got a 3 hour taxi instead. Regret nothing.
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We had to turf two Derby fans out of our reserved seats on the train. As they left, one of them said "hasn't our day been shit enough?!" We felt a bit sorry for them, so offered them a crisp as they left.
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An awesome day, one of my favourite Villa days and it’s up there with Rotterdam for me and I was there too.
Sharing the day with so many friends and that joyous outpouring of relief at the end will stay with me always.
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Couldn't get a ticket (did the year before), watched in the Red Lion in Hockley. As drunk by the end of the day as I've been in 20 years at least.
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We had to turf two Derby fans out of our reserved seats on the train. As they left, one of them said "hasn't our day been shit enough?!" We felt a bit sorry for them, so offered them a crisp as they left.
Each, or between them?
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We had to turf two Derby fans out of our reserved seats on the train. As they left, one of them said "hasn't our day been shit enough?!" We felt a bit sorry for them, so offered them a crisp as they left.
:D
A Walkers crisp would have saddened them even further.
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The best feeling I've ever had watching the Villa in person. The hour after the game ended in the stadium was as joyous as it's ever been for me as a Villa fan.
Just a combination of having lost the previous year and knowing that we'd be back in the big time and that we'd keep our key players was immense.
One funny moment. On the tube going to the game I was chatting with a Villa fan and another tube train pulled up alongside us going in the same direction. We were level with a Derby fan who was an archetypal sweet granny so we smiled and waved towards her. Her response was a middle finger.
Charming!
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The previous year was just fucking horrible, leaving that stadium knowing we had probably at least another season in the championship with Bruce at the helm, who would be leaving? Grealish? Terry? Back into London and beers were had watching the Champions League final in Paddington, the only joy in the day was seeing Liverpool well beaten.
The following year was brilliant obviously! Lots of beers pre and post and another highlight of the day was meeting Ian Taylor on the train home!
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Downside was by qualifying for the Premier League it had a detrimental effect on our aim of qualifying for the Premier League the following season.
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Missed both the goals 'cos I was drinking under the stand but it's never bothered me one bit. I always feel that if I'd been in my seat we wouldn't have scored them.
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Couldn't get a ticket for the second playoff final having been at the one vs Fulham. Had to watch it at home. We've progressed every season- except last - and it's hard to believe we now have such a top manager and exciting prospects.
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It was a bank holiday in England but not down here. I was teaching during the game. I waited to get the final result after class but my phone starterd to keep ringing so I knew we had done it. I had then a class meeting. I kept receiving text messages and a colleague asked me to turn off the Phone. I remember replying that it was a special day and had every right to check the messages.Pure happiness.
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One of the greatest day's of my life the emotions that day were something else.
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What a bloody day that was. I Couldn't talk for a week. I see ua win two league cups in my life time and none of them came close to this
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What a bloody day that was. I Couldn't talk for a week. I see ua win two league cups in my life time and none of them came close to this
Got train in Northfield at 8am. Got handed a can of beer by a stranger. Nearly missed train home from central London. Kids had a great day escorting us around.
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A buzz I will never forget.
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Whilst on a tube going to the Fulham game Ray Lewington wa on the same tube. We got talking to him and he said Benteke was quote unquote ‘fackin shit’.
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
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A buzz I will never forget.
Was it National Express?
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Day I’ll never forget, watched it with my then 8yr old boy in the Shipwrights in Padstow. Had a surprisingly good atmosphere, lots of friendly Villa fans and was the moment that cemented my lads love of football and the Villa - seeing grown men cry for the first time (thank you wherever you are for letting us sit at your table rather than the window cill we were perched at)
Very pissed walk home back to the place we were staying was magical too
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One of my favourite days, cost me over £500 for the ticket but was sitting just underneath Carew and the future king. Left a holiday early leaving the missus and kid behind, was waiting for my train but didn't really know what I was doing because I never use trains, had a panic attack so got a 3 hour taxi instead. Regret nothing.
Went with my 2 sons, the younger of whom had 2 Club Wembley tickets as his company had 6, who gave 2 to a Villa supporting client, 2 to a Derby supporting client and allowed Blair to have the other 2 at the opposite end to the Villa fans. I went trying to buy a ticket and got ripped off by a Manc tout with a ticket that had been reported lost or not received by a Villa fan, who got a replacement ticket. The original ticket was the one I bought - Villa refused to get involved. Watched the game with about 40 Villa fans and 4 Derby fans in Novotel Hotel on Wembley Way courtesy of a Met Police officer who heard my tale of woe. Got well oiled watching the game and then met Conor Hourihane's uncle and mates over from Cork with whom I enjoyed libations - my mother god rest her was from Adrigole in West Cork. A great day even if the Manc tw*t ripped me off.
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
I got a round in.
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
I got a round in.
WTF?
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
That’s me holding the big Union Flag.
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
I got a round in.
I’ll never forget you getting that yank to sing Fuck The Albion in there.
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
I got a round in.
WTF?
I can verify that he got TWO rounds in the previous year against Fulham.
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It is a Sam Smith's
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
That’s me holding the big Union Flag.
That's just what I imagined you looked like, it's usually the complete opposite with people you're aquatinted with but have never met.
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
That’s me holding the big Union Flag.
That's just what I imagined you looked like, it's usually the complete opposite with people you're aquatinted with but have never met.
You imagined a bald bloke. Thanks Dave.
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What a day it was too! It just seemed destiny from the moment we made the play offs and that it was our final. Sweet Caroline.
Dean Smith and that team will always be remembered.
Up The Villa!
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
That’s me holding the big Union Flag.
That's just what I imagined you looked like, it's usually the complete opposite with people you're aquatinted with but have never met.
You imagined a bald bloke. Thanks Dave.
No, no Jon, just a bloke with the arm span of an Andean Condor. ;)
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(https://i.ibb.co/4j4HLKc/FB-IMG-1685208554585.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4j4HLKc)
Celebrating at the Old Swiss Cottage post match
I got a round in.
What a day that was!
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I remember DW buying me a drink before an away game at Plough Lane.
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I remember DW buying me a drink before an away game at Plough Lane.
Oh now this is just entering the realms of fantasy.
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4 years on Derby finished 7th in league one!
Villa 7th in the Prem!
Thank You Dean Smith and the Aston Villa squad of the time.
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It was such a great day out with my Dad. I cried, didn’t at my first child’s birth a month later, the outcome felt more precarious. As someone said it was the relief, keeping Grealish, everything. Lose and we lost so much. The crescendo of the most romantic period of the club with DS&JG surely…
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I remember DW buying me a drink before an away game at Plough Lane.
He bought me one in a JQ pub once.
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Just like 2015 pre and post match beers with Aftab, Pat & Chico in Kilburn, but with a much happier outcome. I was so carried away by the emotion of the day that I even got my phone out and took a couple of photos and videos (sorry). DLBIA in particular was pretty special that day.
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4 years on Derby finished 7th in league one!
Villa 7th in the Prem!
Thank You Dean Smith and the Aston Villa squad of the time.
Should never have got rid of Dean.
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Four years ago today.
(https://i.ibb.co/CKZGwgR/61796326-10157431450065763-8134754675229458432-n.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CKZGwgR)
Just about the most tense last ten minutes of my life, followed by celebrations I'll never forget.
Time for something special today as well, hopefully McGinn and Mings can draw on the memories. Perhaps Dean over at the rabble up the M69 can do similar, good luck to him.
It was incredibly stressful I agree.
But the ultimate for mind numbing, arse clenching fear was West Ham on survival day
It’s so bad I had to go out and walk the streets and not watch the last 10 minutes for fear of having a coronary.
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I did not worry about Derby at any stage of the match. Not even when they got 1 back. I don't think they put us under any pressure and we had no issues in seeing it through. Whereas under Bruce ,the previous year, I was never confident at any stage that we will get past Fulham.
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Dave Woodhall’s carefully procured reputation being destroyed on this thread!
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Just like 2015 pre and post match beers with Aftab, Pat & Chico in Kilburn, but with a much happier outcome. I was so carried away by the emotion of the day that I even got my phone out and took a couple of photos and videos (sorry). DLBIA in particular was pretty special that day.
Blimey, I didn't think you even had a phone?
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We had to turf two Derby fans out of our reserved seats on the train. As they left, one of them said "hasn't our day been shit enough?!" We felt a bit sorry for them, so offered them a crisp as they left.
Every cloud eh…
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I was also in Kilburn, in a pub we always go in but never remember the name of.
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Remember belting Super John McGinn out the back of the Green Man for at least an hour solid. Huge crowd. Wasn't just loud. Need another word. Raucous. Never forget it.
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Dave Woodhall’s carefully procured reputation being destroyed on this thread!
You spend years building a career, then one ill-judged moment of madness...
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I was at work listening on the radio. Then got very drunk afterwards
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One of the best day's of my life I will never forget that day.
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Went into the game with some confidence because of the team's form. This was boosted by the experience of walking the concourse and hearing those of a C&B persuasion belting out songs very loudly.
Lumplard's over-cautious tactics made his team's defeat feel inevitable.
A 2-1 Villa win was being offered at 8/1 at the Ladbrokes in Watford!