December 2016
Life
s a m t Chris Party
FEATURIN G Gary Gard ner Steve Bru c e and Villa L adies
Introducing
… S S O OUR B Steve Bruce joined as boss in the middle of October and has certainly ma de an instant impact. Having managed the likes of Birmingham City, Sunderland, Wigan Athle tic and Hull, the manager brings a wealth of experience to the claret and blue ranks. Widely regarded as a legenda ry defender for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd (no mean feat!), his time in B6 has been a succe ss to date. Villa are unbeaten in his firs t six matches – winning three and drawing tw o. Bruce demands 100% effor t from each member of his squad, both on the fie ld of play and in training sessions at Bodymo or Heath. And the lads are enjoying wo rking with him too. Man of the moment Jonatha n Kodjia has started to thrive under his leadersh ip – netting five goals in his previous five outings. Midfielder Mile Jedinak has praised the boss’ ability to make players aware of their individual and team responsibilities wh ile Gary Gardner says he makes the players fee l like ‘they cannot lose’ under his guidance.
19th-23rd December
SOCCER SCHOOLS Official coaching for 4 to 14 year olds across the West Midlands Pre-book online to guarantee your place
avfc.co.uk/soccerschools 0333 323 1874
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a n e e b ’s t i y a s o t It’s fair 7 1 / 6 1 0 2 r e t s rollercoa . e t a d o t n o s a e s
z u i Q How much do you know about Gary Gardner?
hts from lig h ig h r u o f o e m o s t u Check o action. f o s th n o m e re th g in n e the op
Gary Gardner has worked his way through the age groups and is enjoying a fruitful 2016/17 with his boyhood club. But how much do you know about our likeable midfielder?
‘Oh what fun it is to see the Villa
Q1. Against which team did Gary Gardner recently score his first senior goal for Villa? A. West Bromwich Albion B. Birmingham City C. Rotherham United D. Nottingham Forest
Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time pen alty sealed victory after Jonathan Kodjia’s first half opener was cancelled out by Yann Kermorgant’s header. The win also gave Steve Bruce his first vict ory as Villa boss. The claret and blue faithful, who once again travelled in their numbers, 4,000 to be precise , celebrated and sang to ‘Don’t look back in anger’ which was played ove r the Madejski Stadium tannoy. It’s a son g that’s now a firm favourite among the Villa support and has been heard at Villa Park since.
Q2. In which year was Gary born? A. 1990 B. 1992 C. 1993 D. 1994 Q3. What is the name of Gary’s older brother who was also part of the Bodymoor Heath academy and now plays for West Brom? A. Craig B. Richard C. Chris D. David Q4. Gary made his competitive senior debut in December 2011 against which club? A. Manchester United B. Manchester City C. Arsenal D. Chelsea Q5. Gary Gardner represented Villa in the first-ever NextGen Series but how many goals did he score in the competition? A. 4 B. 2 C. 5 D. 6 Q6. With which club did Gary Gardner spend time during both the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons? A. Preston North End B. Nottingham Forest C. Doncaster Rovers D. Wolverhampton Wanderers
win away!’
Villa ended a 14-month spell withou t an away win with victory at Reading in October.
And it’s Jonathan Kodjia with the
scissor kick…
Villa 1-0 Fulham
an Kodjia e with few clearcut chances, Jonath In what was a largely uneventful gam ss and lities – meeting Albert Adomah’s cro demonstrated his match-wining qua his first home of the Holte End to give Steve Bruce t fron in rly cula cta spe e hom g volleyin packages. layed and replayed on the highlights win. Unsurprisingly, the goal was rep
Gards’ boyhood dream…
The first of many we’re sure, Gards!
It’s a dream for any Villa fan to score a goal for their club. But for that special moment to arrive in a Second City derby against Blues at St Andrew’s is the stuff dreams are made of. Gary Gardner scored his first senior a goal in that very manner – a towering header before running the length of the pitch to celebrate with the travelling fans. Gardner has been at the club since the age of seven but has suffered with injury. He spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest but is really seizing his opportunity this season.
Answers: 1.B, 2.B, 3.A, 4.D, 5.D, 6.B
Life
Christmas Party Tuesday 20th December Join Hercules, Bella & Chip on a magical tour of Cadbury World which includes; a 4D cinema experience, a spectacular Santa Show and if that wasn’t enough there’s a pantomime to please all the family! JV Life Member* £10 Adults £15 Non-Member Juniors £12 Under 4’s Free
Spaces are limited so call 0333 323 1874 today to guarantee your place!
4 s e i d a L a l Vil 0 s e i d a L d r o f t Wa A day to remember in B6
1,320 spectators witnessed Villa Ladies’ firstever WSL 2 match at Villa Park on November 6. Beth Merrick, Lucy Shepherd and Tash Baptiste were all on target as Villa Ladies swept aside Watford. In a subdued start, the claret and blues began the brighter - Merrick was fed down the right by Amy West but saw her cross cleared before Maddy Cusack tried her luck from distance. The home side’s patience was rewarded as they opened the scoring just shy of half an hour – Sarah Mayling showing good persistence to feed Merrick who finished past Lucy Gillett. While the first period lacked goalmouth action, Villa were straight out of the traps at the start of the second. Mayling, again an integral part of wJoe Hunt side’s attacks, played a clever pass to Shepherd, who took the ball around the goalkeeper to slot home at the Holte End. It was three moments later, Gillett getting a touch to Baptiste’s 15-yard strike but unable to keep it out. Watford’s best chance arrived when Mollie Burgess headed just wide of goal. To their credit, Villa kept pushing with substitute Mollie Rouse looking lively throughout – carving chances for Mayling and Jade Richards forward from the back. The fourth eventually came in the closing stages – Merrick’s 40-yard free-kick deflected into her own net by Lucy Pepper to complete the scoring and ensure the 2016 WSL 2 campaign finished in emphatic style. “It was really, really pleasing to see the fans come out in their numbers,” head coach Joe Hunt said. “I know a lot of work has gone in through the marketing and media teams, the players, the staff – everyone’s worked hard to get people here we just want to thank everybody that came and supported us because the girls can play. “They’re a good bunch, an honest bunch, they work hard and they deserve that support.”
Fun Zone Snaps Our Family Funzone Photobooth was decorated with Poppies for our Remembrance Fixture v Blackburn, 5th Nov. These are some of the snaps Hercules just loves to see of the great AVFC fans!!
Hercules, Bella & Chip would like to thank all of the JV Life Members for their unbeatable support this season, we think our JV Life Members are the loudest fans in the country... maybe even the world!
invite you all to e k li o ls a ld u o Hercules w arty being held P s a m t s ri h C e to the JV Lif es to visit.. c la p te ri u o v fa at one of his !! Cadbury World le and can be a s n o w o n re a Tickets bsite or by e w r u o m o fr d e purchas are limited s e c a p s , 4 7 8 1 calling 0333 323 d book today!! n a y la e d ’t n o d so alish was very re G k c a J r a e y t Las you JV Villans, t s g n o m a r la u pop is year?! h t re e h t e b l ’l o I wonder wh