The Villa Times - Issue 6

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VillaTimes The

Issue 6 | £3.00 | www.thevillatimes.com

VILLA’S UNOFFICIAL MAGAZINE

EURO CHAMPIONS

Plus...

RORY KEENAN

Aston Villa do it again, with our youth team winning the NextGen Series...

GERRY HITCHENS

The Villa Times meets up with the Irish actor, to talk about his love for VILLA!

Simon Goodyear tells us about one of VILLA’S all time greats...

fan?

Can you be born a Villa "A Villa fan waiting to hap

PRICE

Expert Analysis

BENTEKE

BARRETT

Player of the Month Where are they Now

pen"

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Body piercings by Holy-Moley Tokyo.

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Fiat, the car brand with the lowest average CO2 emissions in Europe^. Fuel consumption for Fiat 500 with Bicolour range in mpg (l/100km): Urban 49.6 (5.7) - 60.1 (4.7); Extra Urban 65.7 (4.3) – 91.1 (3.1); Combined 58.9 (4.8) – 76.3 (3.7). CO2 emissions 113 – 97 g/km. ^Source: JATO Dynamics. Based on volume-weighted average CO2 emissions (g/km) of the best selling brands in Europe, 1st half year 2012.

VillaTimes The

Editor Peter Brennan Designer Peter Brennan Web Development Peter Brennan Social Media Kenny Oldham Thanks to Ian Seddon, Peter Withe, Russell Jones, Aston Villa Football Club, Acorns, Joe Hunt, Brian Little, Ugo Ehiogu, Gordon Cowans, Danny Dewery Contributors Ryan Griffiths, Tom Davis, Simon Goodyear, Colin Abbott, Sam Tighe, Adrian Nevett, Mark Burke, James Leyfield Villa Times Photography Mark Little, Katie Doolan, Joe Merchant Images Getty Images, Colour Sport Advertising E: advertising@thevillatimes.com Subscription Go to www.thevillatimes.com E; info@thevillatimes.com The Villa Times Limited, Registered Office address MacNicholas Yard, 138 Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B60 4JZ. Company registration number; 08111746.

E: info@thevillatimes.com W: www.thevillatimes.com Please note: The Villa Times is not a member of the Aston Villa group of companies and is a unofficial magazine based on Aston Villa Images are supplied by people’s own scrap book and collections.

The Villa Times Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owners. every effort has been made by the publishers to ensure the accuracy of this publication; the publisher cannot accept responsibility for the errors or omissions. in the interest of independence and impartiality,many features in this publication have been written by third-party experts. Any opinions expressed therein are views of the writers themselves and not necessarily those of Aston Villa and The Villa Times. The Villa Times is for the purpous of news and is a monthly/four nightly production.

Welcome

We Can Do It.....

It has been a long and entertaining month on and off the pitch at Villa Park, with a long road ahead to the end of the season. The Villa Times has also hit the headlines again, with Worldwide viewing in a recent feature on Sky Sports show, Gillete Soccer Saturday, in a feature on Aston Villa shown before the QPR game.

The latest edition is packed with exclusive interviews. We have former England and Villa legend Tony Morley, Irish actor Rory Keenan, and 50’s Villa player Ken Barrett. We also meet up with former Villa player and Gordon Cowans team mate Gavin Price to get his view of the best games, goals and players in the last month, which all adds up to give a unique perspective.

We also have some great new features – an feature covering the best match of the month a great new feature id “Recent Form” we also cover the last four games, providing match reports, stats and line-up’s with some interesting facts, and once again we have a exclusive interview with Villa ladies star and captain Dani Petrović. If that's not enough, we also look at one of Villa’s favourite stikers of all time, Gerry Hitchens, The Season So Far with Simon Goodyear and a feature the last man to guide Villa to a FA Cup final win, Eric Houghton.

We have had a few movements with the Villa Times teamI would also like to welcome a few new people to the Villa Times team, Jason Connelly, Adam Keeble, Ben McGilloway and James Baylis and to welcome back Andy Evans. I would also like to thank Colin Aboott for his input to the magazine over the past six issues.

Lastly a sincere thanks to my team for making the Villa Times the successful magazine that it is, and in such a short space of time. Well done to all concerned!

Peter Brennan, Editor

TVT

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Features Issue 5

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Ken Barrett We catch up with the former Villa player to discuss his most memorable matches, hardest players, funny stories and his time at Villa Park

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Rory Keenan We meet up with Irish Actor Rory Keenan to discuss being a fan, working with fellow Villa fans, his first match and what would he do if he went on Match of the Day.

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Gavin Price Exclusive feature with former Aston Villa player Tony Price as he looks at some of the best goals, games, players and key moments of 2012

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Dani Petrović Exclusive Interview with long serving Villa Ladies player Dani Petrović.

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Eric Houghton Adrian Nevett, tells jus more about the life and career of former Villa and England manager Graham Taylor and the success he had at Villa and the clubs he managed in his career as a manager.

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History: Gerry Hitchens Villa Times writer and author of the Nigel Sims and Seventh Heaven books Simon Goodyear, tells us the story of one of Villa best ever stikers, Gerry Hitchens and his career at Villa Park.

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The Season So Far Simon Goodyear goes throught the hi's and low's of the past month, giving his views of the last months action.

In The Mag In The Mag

6 & 26 Picture of the Month This month we have pictures from Peter Lowe and Joe Merchant

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Match of the Month this month we take a look at the best match of the month and travel to Italy for the NextGen Series final win over Chelsea, crowning the Villa youth team european champions.

Villa Times Player of the Month We pick the Aston Villa's player of the month for the Villa Times

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Villa Lions latest news from from some of the Worlds lions clubs with articles from the Cleveland Lions

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Irish Lion, Ben McGilloway, gives us his view why Christian Benteke is the Villa Times player of the month.

arch 2013 will no doubt be one of the most crucial months in recent memory for Aston Villa Football Club. Already feverishly grasping for grip on the greasy pole that is premiership survival Villa were pitched against their two relegation rivals in back to back six pointers. Unlucky 5 days earlier to have not held on for a point against title chasers Manchester City, Villa travelled to the Madejski Stadium knowing only a win will do. For those in attendance, those in Birmingham and those fans scattered all around the world our worst fears began to be realised as, one of our own, Nathan Baker turned the ball past the hapless Brad Guzan.

They say it’s how one acts in times of trouble that defines them. The confidence busting 3-3 draw to Everton still fresh in the mind and with only one win since the highpoint of the season, a 3-1 win against Liverpool, Villa fans could be excused for thinking the worst case scenario was upon them come May 19th. As soon as these thoughts began to circulate they were instantly banished. In a rush of guts and determination Villa instantly replied with a Christian Benteke goal.

Fast forward a week later and as Villa welcomed QPR to Villa Park in a similar must win game who should once again be our saviour? After losing an early goal, Villa dug deep and pulled into the lead with goals from Agbonlahor and Wiemann. As every minute that ticked by felt like an hour for those in the Holte End QPR nicked a goal in the 73rd minute. Memories of all too many points lost from leading positions once again hung heavy around the Villa faithful’s neck. With time ticking on and the all too familiar rollercoaster of hoping for a winner, but not wanting to concede, that those at Villa Park have come accustom to hitting full speed, who else should pop up in the 83rd minute and grab his 17th goal of the season but Christian Benteke.

Since scoring on his debut against Swansea the towering Belgian international has won over the hearts of not only the Villa fans but also those up and down the premiership and even across Europe. Since his £7 Million summer signing from Genk, Benteke has been a breath of fresh air and a vision of hope to the Villa faithful this season.

While, as Villa fans, we have witnessed few high points this season, Benteke has been central to them all. Few will forget his performance against Liverpool in Anfield this past December. While grabbing a brace of goals for himself the main talking point of the match in fanzines, message boards and social media outlets was how he predatorily tormented the Liverpool defence. Others will point to his net busting 25 yard strike against West Brom.

While Benteke’s strength and ability to score goals is blatantly obvious to all who watch him play, his ability to score important winners wearing the claret and blue is proving to be the inflatable life jacket protecting Villa’s season.

Crucial Benteke winners at home against Reading at the start of the season and West Ham in February, a game that gave Villa their first win in 8 games, are two others that spring to mind. Currently on 17 goals for the season the towering Belgian is on track to break through the 20 goals a season ceiling. If he does so he will be the first Villa player to do so since Juan Pablo Angel in 2003-04.

As we quickly approach to what many are labelling as the clubs ‘judgement day’ against Wigan on the final day of the season such crucial moments and stats, understandably, will be forgotten until fans take stock at the end of the season. While Benteke has been a phenomenal servant among Lamberts Lions, in March he kicked into up a gear to a level that few thought he had a point that hasn’t been lost the Villa management. In a recent Paul Lambert noted that ‘The big guy, over the course of the whole season, has been excellent for someone just 22 years of age.’ While it would be unfair on the likes of Gabby Agbonlahor, Brad Guzan & Andri Wiemann to suggest that Benteke is a one man claret and blue crusade for premiership survival, his presence in the last two games alone has transformed Villa’s season and provided hope among the clubs faithful. After such a month it’s the least we can do to say he is our player of the month.

The Season So Far

COME ON YOU VILLA BOYS!!

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Simon Goodyear looks at the recent matches and the fight ahead

arch is usually a month in which Villa don’t get much from and it started on a bad note and defeat at home to the Champions Manchester City but taking the positives from the game, we gave as good as we got for 90 minutes. Carlos Tevez’s goal was the difference between the two sides and enough to see off Paul Lambert’s fighters but they remained in the drop zone on goal difference – and just four points off the bottom. The defeat also means that Villa’s horrendous form against the top four this season continued – played six, lost six - not good enough and games against Manchester United and Chelsea coming up soon, things don’t seem likely to get any better.

Next up was a trip to struggling Reading who before the game were on a five-game losing streak and had Manchester United and Arsenal away to follow the visit of Villa. It was the proverbial “6-pointer” for both sides and it started well for the hosts who were gifted with an own-goal in the 32nd minute when Nathan Baker embarrassingly sliced the ball into his own net in what must be the ‘own-goal of the season’; however, his team-mates helped to spare his blushes, though, as Villa went straight up the other end when Ashley West-

Barry Bannan’s effort crash off the post only for Gabby Agbonlahor to rattle in the rebound to make it 2 – 1

wood played in Andreas Weimann with a superb pass and his cutback was fired in by that man, Christian Benteke with the help of a deflection and Baker’s blushes were eased. Things got even better for the visitors as on the stroke of half-time some equally comical Reading defending allowed Villa to go in front. A fine period of possession and passing ended up with a move that saw Barry Bannan’s effort crash off the post only for Gabby Agbonlahor to rattle in the rebound to make it 2 – 1 at half-time and there was no way back for Reading. Getting in front has not been a problem this season – it’s holding on to a lead that Villa have found tough but the defense held firm for the second 45 minutes to secure the victory and ease Villa out of the bottom three.

Harry Redknapp’s mind games didn’t stop a bumper crowd turning out for what was billed as an-

other ‘6-pointer’ against a rejuvenated QPR side who were hanging on to their Premier League status by a thread coming into the game. However, Villa old-boy Jermaine Jenas, of all people, gave QPR the lead after a mistake from Joe Bennett, yet another clanger costing us to goal one behind for the second game in a row. The first half was all QPR and it looked like being ‘one of those days’ as the home side failed to turn up, except, that is for Brad Guzan who made a string of fine saves yet again saving the day. Against the run of play, Gabby Agbonlahor nodded in a timely equaliser on the stroke of half-time from Matt Lowton’s swirling cross to send the home fans into half time with something to cheer about. Villa started the second half in the ascendancy and Bennett and Weimann combined to put Villa in front on the hour mark when, from a partially cleared corner, the left-back’s decoy run allowed the Austrian striker to step inside his marker and clinically drill in his 11th goal of the season from the edge of the area to send the home crowd into delirious celebrations. That delirium was short lived when Andros Townsend drew QPR level with a goal out of nowhere on 73 minutes, clipping in a deflected effort via Ron Vlaar after substitute Adel Taraabt’s introduction lifted the visitors and it was a case

of “here we go again”. However, if Paul Lambert’s side has learned anything this season it is never give to up and if anybody sums up the spirit of this Villa side it is Andreas Weimann and his persistence and precision forced the winner on 81 minutes when he burst on to Charles N’Zogbia’s pass and bustled to the byline before picking out Benteke for a potentially priceless winner. This time, Villa held on for the last ten minutes plus injury time for well-earned victory and the first back-to-back win for over two years.

With an international break interrupting the Premier League season, another home game was waiting for Villa and this time it was the visit of Liverpool on Easter Sunday. Having bullied Liverpool with a brilliant brace the December win at Anfield, Christian Benteke was at it again during an enterprising first half in front of the biggest crowd of the season. The Belgian blasted the home side in front on 31 minutes when Gabby Agbonlahor helped on Ashley Westwood’s searching pass and the big Belgium connected with a volley that Pepe Reina got a hand to but was unable to keep out. It was Benteke’s 18th goal of his debut season at Villa proving why everyone at Villa are so keen to keep him at all costs next season.

Top: Villa attacking in the Liverpool area and above: Gabby Agbonlahor, set up Benteke ower at Villa Park.

James Leyfield Showbiz writer James Leyfield goes throught some stories in showbiz connected with Villa..

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49

OF THE MONTH The Villa Times

PLAYER

Tony Morley Exclusive interview from one of Villa all time greats Tony Morley, to discuss life in football and his love for Aston Villa

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Player of the Month

Villa World Pictures sent from Villa fans not only from the UK but from across the world.

My Villa We interview Villa fan and Cleveland based Jeromi Rogers about his best moment, match, player and

4 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

However, as with most Villa games this season, nothing is secured until the final whistle and within 15 minutes of the restart the visitors turned the game around on its head. Jordan Henderson equalised on 47 minutes when he calmly dinked the ball over the advancing Guzan after Phillipe Coutinho’s pass split the Villa defense. Another sloppy defensive error saw Nathan Baker undermine a battling display by tripping the slippery Louis Suarez near the byline on the hour mark for a clear penalty that Stevie Gerrard was never going to miss. Equally incisive was an acrobatic clearance in the last few minutes by Gerrard, nodding Benteke’s towering header off the line and the top scorer also having a goal dramatically (and correctly) ruled out for offside at the death. Weimann also spurned a great chance when he fired high into the Holte End. In the end it just wasn’t to be.

The month started with Villa in the bottom three and ended with the boys in the same position even though excellent results saw them climb out of the drop zone for a couple of weeks. With six or seven teams still in the fight for survival, April will be crucial if we are to get out of the relegation dog-fight.

COME ON YOU VILLA BOYS!!

Fan Feature

A Family of Villa Fans

L

ike any Villa fan, my son will never forget the first game he went to. But unlike many other fans’ experience, it took place 3,500 miles from Villa Park.

As an AVFC fan and former Holte End season ticket holder exiled in the USA I took my family to see Villa on their preseason tour to Philadelphia in June 2012. We braved a thunderstorm to get there from our New York City suburb, but once we arrived (and because my kids were wearing some of my old Villa shirts which grabbed the attention of a Philadelphia Union employee on the way in) my son and daughter were chosen to walk on to the field holding the English flag before the game and stand on the pitch with the Villa team lined up behind them. And of course, then won (Nathan Delfouneso, 1-0).

The atmosphere was strange. Amid an announced crowd of more than 17,000 a hardcore of Villa fans did the team proud in one corner of the stadium, applauding in the 19th minute and singing throughout. And an impressive, coordinated group of home supporters kept things loud behind one of the goals. But there was a sterile feel to the proceedings.

Certainly, the result didn’t matter and Villa had a handful of players making their debuts which didn’t make for a flowing game. And to be fair, the home supporters were still getting to know their own team. The Union was in a two-year-old stadium and had only been in existence at all since 2008 and playing since 2010. But

while the Union team in their infancy were largely a mystery to all football fans at this point, so too were Villa on this night. The announcer even mispronounced USA international Eric Lichaj’s name. I’m not kidding.

AVFC had come off the back of a poor season and replaced their manager with their third choice – and hardly a household name back in England. The talk among the fans that night, other than Darren Bent and the Internet chatter that James Collins would soon be on his way, was pretty indifferent curiousity.

“Who’s that guy? Is he any good?” the fans near me would ask.

“That’s Matthew Lowton, and… I don’t know yet.” I would reply.

And while some Major League Soccer (MLS) snobs sneer at the European leagues (and would accuse the European fans of doing the same to MLS) some are, at best, knowledgeable enough of the world

game to appreciate that Villa are a middling Premier League team but… not much more than that. The glory days of the Premier League era were 20 years ago. The peak of European glory was 30 years ago.

MLS itself has only been playing since 1996.

For argument’s sake, Villa on this night might as well have been Everton or Fulham – a team with a recognizable name and some American ties (Howard, Donovan from time to time; McBride, Dempsey). But not a team any casual sports fans in the USA would have any appreciation of.

Which begs the question, why were Villa in Philadelphia at all?

Kyle Alm lives in Seattle, Washington and writes for the American Soccer News blog. While a big fan of the world game, he admits Villa are largely under his radar.

“I consider them a middle-of-the-road team at best,” he says. “I’ve heard them referred to as a working-class team which seems to me to be reflected in the way they play: with more enthusiasm and aggression than skill.”

In a country where soccer operates in the shadow of American Football, baseball, basketball and to a lesser extent, even ice hockey, Alm is a long-term fan who has followed the English game since he was five. But even given AVFC’s American ties, it doesn’t make much difference to his level of interest in them.

“I didn’t realize Villa were owned by an

“I consider them a middle-of-the-road team at best,” he says. “I’ve heard them referred to as a working-class team which seems to me to be reflected in the way they play: with more enthusiasm and aggression than skill.”

Kyle Alm, American Soccer News blog

American,” he says. “But it doesn’t matter to me. I know Guzan plays there, but I’ve never even heard of Lichaj (a surprise to me – he has eight International Caps although he never made much of a name for himself as an MLS player). I paid more attention to Fulham because of Brian McBride, Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson who all flourished in MLS before moving to the Premier League. The players matter to me, not the owners.”

“Villa touring the USA was about trying to grow the brand,” says Dr. Scott Rosner, the Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. “A pre-season tour obviously prepares the players, but it’s an opportunity to maximize the brand name and make some money through merchandise sales and obviously ticket sales which will get your more sponsorship.”

In the last seven years or so the coverage of the Premier League has not just increased in volume (big Premier League games have been televised in the USA on regular channels for the first time in the last 12 months, and not just on sports channels) but also in sophistication. The half-time experts include former player Warren Barton (who’s pretty good) alongside Eric Wynalda (former MLS player and US International (also good) and Steve McManaman (who’s certainly very excitable) as opposed to the not-so-distant past when soccer games were covered by American guys who drew the short straw and found themselves talking about a topic on which they know very little.

Where do Aston Villa fit into this new era of sophisticated exposure? “There are English teams who have an established following over here,” says Rosner.

“Fans here know Manchester United and signing players like Tim Howard and Donovan certainly made Everton more familiar to American audiences. That is coupled by the increase in coverage, which means fans can actually watch US stars on TV, most likely in real time. But Aston Villa right now are not really part of that group of teams soccer fans in the USA are going to pay much attention to.”

It’s hard to step back and say “how can people think that about Villa?” when everyone reading this magazine is blinkered into thinking about AVFC in a certain way – it’s a thing of real significance to us. But really, did any of us become Bari fans when David Platt moved there - even when we did have the chance to watch him on Channel 4 every so often? And would Richard Branson buying the Chicago Fire make us fans overnight?

And choosing a team is not as easy as picking one out of a hat. When I moved to New York City, I let myself get chosen by the many sports teams in the area. I ended up being a fan of the Giants, the Yankees, the Knicks and the Rangers when I could just as easily being a fan of the Jets, the Mets, the Nets and the Islanders. Some were enjoying success, but others were slumping and mediocre at best. It was just a good fit, and once chosen, you can’t be unchosen.

Forcing a team down someone’s throat is no guarantee fans are going to end up devoting time, effort and money to that team in return. Why are so many casual soccer fans over here seen wearing Manchester United and Chelsea shirts? Because they win, and winning is something Americans, like most human beings, like to be a part of.

Dr. Rosner adds: “If Villa wanted to push their brand more, they could invest in some wellknown American players for sure. But there’s only so many of those to go around. Michael Bradley, who was at Villa for a while on loan, is well known and talented but it’s harder to sell a defensive midfield player than a free-scoring flair forward. It’s absolutely diligent to continue with the tours, but winning is the biggest thing Villa could do to promote their name globally. And not on a

short-term level.”

“Villa might also consider shifting their focus away from North America and to the rest of the world with a tour or a high-profile signing. But the best strategy for any team wanting success and to grow their brand name globally and consistently is to invest in good management, on-field talent and the youth academy.

Sustainability is vital,” he says.

Certainly I have found the shift from following AVFC in person in my 20’s to watching on TV in my 30’s far more palatable at a time when information, live games and colour coverage have never been more accessible. When I first moved to NYC in 1999, I had to find a soccer bar to watch the Villa games in, when they

were televised at all, and usually pay $20 or so (although that included an English breakfast) for the privilege. Now I get to watch every top-flight game of the weekend more often than not over the course of the weekend.

But wouldn’t it be good if, sooner rather than later, the USA could embrace Aston Villa with the same passion they have other more successful teams based on the merits of their young talented players and their trophy cabinet?

It sounds like all it will take is a decade or so of consistent success…

By Adam Kimble

New Features A Family Of

Villa Fans A Villa By Andy Davis

Fan Growing Up

Match Of The Month

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Save That Date

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Picture of the Month

A FULL HOUSE

Easter Sunday, 31st March 2013, Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool Picture shows, Holte enders over looking the Liverpool keeper during the recent 2-1 close defeat at Villa Park.

Picture of the Month by Joe Merchant

Exclusive Interview

TONY MORLEY

Mortimer... Shaw... Williams... Prepared to adventure down the left... There’s a good ball played in for Tony Morley.... OH, IT MUST BE.... IT IS!!!!!!!

I wasn’t born during Villa’s finest moment in Rotterdam in 1982 but the YouTube clip of Peter Withe’s match winning goal against German giants, Bayern Munich, still sends shivers down my spine.

My dad has the recording on an old video cassette tucked safely away in a cupboard in his house of that special night. The night that the Villa made history, the night men such as Withe, Nigel Spink, manager Tony Barton and our interviewee Tony Morley made themselves legends on the Holte End. Tony was born 26 August 1954 in Ormskirk - a market town in West Lancashire. It is situated 13 miles north of Liverpool city centre and is famous for its gingerbread!

He represented Ormskirk and District Schools and signed as an apprentice with Preston North End in July 1969 before turning professional in August 1972. He played alongside World Cup winners Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles at Deepdale and hit 15 goals in 84 games.

His form prompted a move across Lancashire and moved to Burnley for £100,000 in 1976 and bagged five goals in 91 games at Turf Moor.

He was then snapped up by Villa manager Ron Saunders at signed on at Villa Park for the princely fee £200,000 in June 1979. Morley quickly established himself as a cult hero on the claret and blue side of Birmingham with his dazzling displays on the wing.

Seen as a ‘wayward genius’ by many, his spectacular goals and mazy runs on the flanks resulted in him being feared as one of the most dangerous attacking threats that opposing defenders could face. In fact, his wonder goal at Goodison Park against Everton was named ‘Goal of the Season’ in 1981-82.

Morley amassed 180 appearances in all competitions, scoring 34 goals. His honours during his Villa Park tenure included the First Division league title in the 1980/81 season and the 1982 European Cup and European Super Cup. 8 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Photography By Joe Merchant Article By Jason Connelly

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Exclusive Interview

The Super Cup was played over two legs then and Villa met Cup Winners Cup holders FC Barcelona, with the first leg being a 1-0 defeat in the Nou Camp. Tony started up front alongside Gordon Cowans. He partnered Peter Withe in the second leg at Villa Park in front of a crowd of 31,750 as Villa ran out 3-0 victors in extra time following a 1-0 lead after 90 minutes to leave the tie deadlocked 1-1 on aggregate. Tony was replaced on 76 minutes by Mark Walters.

Villa goal scorers were Gary Shaw, Gordon Cowans and Ken McNaught.

During his period with Villa, Morley earned six caps for England, making his debut in the crucial World Cup qualifier against Hungary at Wembley in 1981 and was perhaps unlucky not to earn a call up for the Finals in Spain the following year.

Then manager Ron Greenwood decided to take Arsenal’s Graham Rix instead.

After leaving Villa Park in 1983 Morley moved to West Bromwich Albion (33 appearances, 4 goals) and was loaned out to Villa’s bitter city rivals, Birmingham 10 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

City in 1984 where he scored 3 goals in 4 games. He opted for pastures new for the 1985/86 season when he joined up with Hong Kong club Seiko Sports Association. He was on the move again the following season when he moved to the Netherlands to ply his trade with FC Den Haag where he notched 13 goals in 31 appearances and picked up a runner up medal in the 1987 Dutch Cup. He moved back home for another spell with Albion (28 appearances, 7 goals) before being loaned to Burnley (5 appearances) and then moving on to America to play for The Tampa Bay Rowdies. Tony finished his illustrious career with a final swansong in the Maltese league with leading club Hamrun Spartans FC and hung up his boots in 1990 following an 18 year professional career.

The ‘flying blond winger' is now a prominent member of the Aston Villa Former Players Association and a regular player in the 'Aston Villa Old Stars' team. He has also provided match commentary for radio broadcasts on the Official Aston Villa Website.

Questions What is your most memorable game you played and why?

Beating Liverpool 2-0 in the European Winning season, Liverpool at the time were rated as the best team in the world and we beat them, it gave us great confidence, we just beat the best team in the world and we were better than them.

What was your favorite goal you scored and why?

Swansea, 1982, it was the Friday night before we were to travel out for the European Cup final.

Who was the most influential Manager or coach for you? And why?

It has to be Ron Saunders, he was straight as anyone could be, it was black and white with him, if you didn’t do the job in a couple of games you were gone.

Who was the best player you played

Ron Saunders, he was straight as anyone could be, it was black and white with him, if you didn’t do the job in a couple of games you were gone.

with?

Got to be Des (Bremner) total professional, hard worker in training all week and every match, he always had his professional hat on. Great player - great guy!

Who was the hardest player you played against?

Pat Rice at Arsenal, just for the knowledge of the game, he could read your next move.

What are the funniest things to happen to you in football and why?

Eamon Deacy came on as a sub for his first game and Saunders had told him to just kick the ball, he was so nervous, a Southampton player was bending over to position the ball for a free kick and Eamon ran over and kicked the ball and the player, it was helarious, we got into the dressing room and Saunders went mad at him and asked him for a reason as to why he did it and he answered, “you told me to kick the ball boss” the whole dressing room including Saunders burst in to laughter.

Who did you share with on away games and have you any funny stories?

David Geddis, I was always nicking is clothes, he was a snappy dresser and he loved his clothes. The one time he was away and he asked me to bring his clothes back with me and I went and got them all altered to fit me, a couple of weeks later I went in with them on, it got a good laugh in the dress room.

Villa have still not replaced me on the left wing after 35 years, and I wasn’t a winger.

Villa have still not replaced me on the left wing after 35 years

What do you think of the current squad and manager?

Paul Lambert has had a big task this season and a lot of pressure from the start at Villa and is developing a squad with little and no money, that there was once at Villa. I think he has really turned it round over the last month or so, from the bad form around the Christmas period, I think the main focus is to survive in the premiership this season and to build with what he has and bring in some new faces. I also think that the young squad have done well and will only get better in the future from experience.

I recently interviewed John Gidman and he said he was heartbroken to leave Villa when he did, how did you feel?

Gutted, I didn’t want to leave, the chairman sold me, I would like to quote by saying the

What do you think of the recent Next Gen Series Win? Fantastic, it is a great achievement for the lads to win such a prestigious award at a young age and great experience for the lads to win it for themselves and for the club to go all the way and win it. thevillatimes.com Issue 6 11

12 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Player of the Month

OF THE MONTH The Villa Times

PLAYER

M

Irish Lion, Ben McGilloway, gives us his view why Christian Benteke is the Villa Times player of the month.

arch 2013 will no doubt be one of the most crucial months in recent memory for Aston Villa Football Club. Already feverishly grasping for grip on the greasy pole that is premiership survival Villa were pitched against their two relegation rivals in back to back six pointers. Unlucky 5 days earlier to have not held on for a point against title chasers Manchester City, Villa travelled to the Madejski Stadium knowing only a win will do. For those in attendance, those in Birmingham and those fans scattered all around the world our worst fears began to be realised as, one of our own, Nathan Baker turned the ball past the hapless Brad Guzan.

They say it’s how one acts in times of trouble that defines them. The confidence busting 3-3 draw to Everton still fresh in the mind and with only one win since the highpoint of the season, a 3-1 win against Liverpool, Villa fans could be excused for thinking the worst case scenario was upon them come May 19th. As soon as these thoughts began to circulate they were instantly banished. In a rush of guts and determination Villa instantly replied with a Christian Benteke goal.

Fast forward a week later and as Villa welcomed QPR to Villa Park in a similar must win game who should once again be our saviour? After losing an early goal, Villa dug deep and pulled into the lead with goals from Agbonlahor and Wiemann. As every minute that ticked by felt like an hour for those in the Holte End QPR nicked a goal in the 73rd minute. Memories of all too many points lost from leading positions once again hung heavy around the Villa faithful’s neck. With time ticking on and the all too familiar rollercoaster of hoping for a winner, but not wanting to concede, that those at Villa Park have come accustom to hitting full speed, who else should pop up in the 83rd minute and grab his 17th goal of the season but Christian Benteke.

Since scoring on his debut against Swansea the towering Belgian international has won over the hearts of not only the Villa fans but also those up and down the premiership and even across Europe. Since his £7 Million summer signing from Genk, Benteke has been a breath of fresh air and a vision of hope to the Villa faithful this season.

While, as Villa fans, we have witnessed few high points this season, Benteke has been central to them all. Few will forget his performance against Liverpool in Anfield this past December. While grabbing a brace of goals for himself the main talking point of the match in fanzines, message boards and social media outlets was how he predatorily tormented the Liverpool defence. Others will point to his net busting 25 yard strike against West Brom.

While Benteke’s strength and ability to score goals is blatantly obvious to all who watch him play, his ability to score important winners wearing the claret and blue is proving to be the inflatable life jacket protecting Villa’s season.

Crucial Benteke winners at home against Reading at the start of the season and West Ham in February, a game that gave Villa their first win in 8 games, are two others that spring to mind. Currently on 17 goals for the season the towering Belgian is on track to break through the 20 goals a season ceiling. If he does so he will be the first Villa player to do so since Juan Pablo Angel in 2003-04.

As we quickly approach to what many are labelling as the clubs ‘judgement day’ against Wigan on the final day of the season such crucial moments and stats, understandably, will be forgotten until fans take stock at the end of the season. While Benteke has been a phenomenal servant among Lamberts Lions, in March he kicked into up a gear to a level that few thought he had a point that hasn’t been lost the Villa management. In a recent Paul Lambert noted that ‘The big guy, over the course of the whole season, has been excellent for someone just 22 years of age.’ While it would be unfair on the likes of Gabby Agbonlahor, Brad Guzan & Andri Wiemann to suggest that Benteke is a one man claret and blue crusade for premiership survival, his presence in the last two games alone has transformed Villa’s season and provided hope among the clubs faithful. After such a month it’s the least we can do to say he is our player of the month.

thevillatimes.com Issue 6 13

The Season So Far

COME ON YOU VILLA BOYS!!

M

Simon Goodyear looks at the recent matches and the fight ahead

arch is usually a month in which Villa don’t get much from and it started on a bad note and defeat at home to the Champions Manchester City but taking the positives from the game, we gave as good as we got for 90 minutes. Carlos Tevez’s goal was the difference between the two sides and enough to see off Paul Lambert’s fighters but they remained in the drop zone on goal difference – and just four points off the bottom. The defeat also means that Villa’s horrendous form against the top four this season continued – played six, lost six - not good enough and games against Manchester United and Chelsea coming up soon, things don’t seem likely to get any better.

Next up was a trip to struggling Reading who before the game were on a five-game losing streak and had Manchester United and Arsenal away to follow the visit of Villa. It was the proverbial “6-pointer” for both sides and it started well for the hosts who were gifted with an own-goal in the 32nd minute when Nathan Baker embarrassingly sliced the ball into his own net in what must be the ‘own-goal of the season’; however, his team-mates helped to spare his blushes, though, as Villa went straight up the other end when Ashley West14 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Barry Bannan’s effort crash off the post only for Gabby Agbonlahor to rattle in the rebound to make it 2 – 1

wood played in Andreas Weimann with a superb pass and his cutback was fired in by that man, Christian Benteke with the help of a deflection and Baker’s blushes were eased. Things got even better for the visitors as on the stroke of half-time some equally comical Reading defending allowed Villa to go in front. A fine period of possession and passing ended up with a move that saw Barry Bannan’s effort crash off the post only for Gabby Agbonlahor to rattle in the rebound to make it 2 – 1 at half-time and there was no way back for Reading. Getting in front has not been a problem this season – it’s holding on to a lead that Villa have found tough but the defense held firm for the second 45 minutes to secure the victory and ease Villa out of the bottom three.

Harry Redknapp’s mind games didn’t stop a bumper crowd turning out for what was billed as an-

other ‘6-pointer’ against a rejuvenated QPR side who were hanging on to their Premier League status by a thread coming into the game. However, Villa old-boy Jermaine Jenas, of all people, gave QPR the lead after a mistake from Joe Bennett, yet another clanger costing us to goal one behind for the second game in a row. The first half was all QPR and it looked like being ‘one of those days’ as the home side failed to turn up, except, that is for Brad Guzan who made a string of fine saves yet again saving the day. Against the run of play, Gabby Agbonlahor nodded in a timely equaliser on the stroke of half-time from Matt Lowton’s swirling cross to send the home fans into half time with something to cheer about. Villa started the second half in the ascendancy and Bennett and Weimann combined to put Villa in front on the hour mark when, from a partially cleared corner, the left-back’s decoy run allowed the Austrian striker to step inside his marker and clinically drill in his 11th goal of the season from the edge of the area to send the home crowd into delirious celebrations. That delirium was short lived when Andros Townsend drew QPR level with a goal out of nowhere on 73 minutes, clipping in a deflected effort via Ron Vlaar after substitute Adel Taraabt’s introduction lifted the visitors and it was a case

of “here we go again”. However, if Paul Lambert’s side has learned anything this season it is never give to up and if anybody sums up the spirit of this Villa side it is Andreas Weimann and his persistence and precision forced the winner on 81 minutes when he burst on to Charles N’Zogbia’s pass and bustled to the byline before picking out Benteke for a potentially priceless winner. This time, Villa held on for the last ten minutes plus injury time for well-earned victory and the first back-to-back win for over two years.

With an international break interrupting the Premier League season, another home game was waiting for Villa and this time it was the visit of Liverpool on Easter Sunday. Having bullied Liverpool with a brilliant brace the December win at Anfield, Christian Benteke was at it again during an enterprising first half in front of the biggest crowd of the season. The Belgian blasted the home side in front on 31 minutes when Gabby Agbonlahor helped on Ashley Westwood’s searching pass and the big Belgium connected with a volley that Pepe Reina got a hand to but was unable to keep out. It was Benteke’s 18th goal of his debut season at Villa proving why everyone at Villa are so keen to keep him at all costs next season.

Top: Villa attacking in the Liverpool area and above: Gabby Agbonlahor, set up Benteke ower at Villa Park.

However, as with most Villa games this season, nothing is secured until the final whistle and within 15 minutes of the restart the visitors turned the game around on its head. Jordan Henderson equalised on 47 minutes when he calmly dinked the ball over the advancing Guzan after Phillipe Coutinho’s pass split the Villa defense. Another sloppy defensive error saw Nathan Baker undermine a battling display by tripping the slippery Louis Suarez near the byline on the hour mark for a clear penalty that Stevie Gerrard was never going to miss. Equally incisive was an acrobatic clearance in the last few minutes by Gerrard, nodding Benteke’s towering header off the line and the top scorer also having a goal dramatically (and correctly) ruled out for offside at the death. Weimann also spurned a great chance when he fired high into the Holte End. In the end it just wasn’t to be.

The month started with Villa in the bottom three and ended with the boys in the same position even though excellent results saw them climb out of the drop zone for a couple of weeks. With six or seven teams still in the fight for survival, April will be crucial if we are to get out of the relegation dog-fight.

COME ON YOU VILLA BOYS!! thevillatimes.com Issue 6 15

Champions

CHAMPIONS

Villa Academy Crowned Champions of Europe Aston Villa have a proven pedigree of youth development Current first teamers Ciaran Clark, Barry Bannan, Eric Lichaj, Marc Albrighton, Chris Herd, Gabby Agbonlahor, Nathan Baker, Gary Gardner and Andi Weimann have all progressed through the club's impressive youth system whilst former players such as last issue's cover star Lee Hendrie, Current England International Gary Cahill, Gareth Barry, Darius Vassel and former German International Thomas Hitzlsperger are all graduates of the Villa Academy system.

Well now the current Academy team have a chance to gain invauable experience at European level thanks to the NextGen Series.

The NextGen Series is an international football tournament introduced back in the 2011-12 season. Featuring 24 teams from 12 countries, the league gives the sides to showcase their stars of the future.

Villa had a great run in the Series last year, reaching the Quarter Finals before narrowly missing out to French giants Marseilles. However, this season has seen the young Lions go all the way.

The road to the Finals has seen the young Villans claim some impressive scalps including victories over Scottish giants Celtic (2 - 1), PSV Eindhoven (2 0) and showed real grit and determination to battle back from a goal down to defeat Dutch giants Ajax in their own backyard.

The Ajax academy is one of the world's most famous and successful academy systems, pro16 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

ducing the likes of Johan Cruyff, Denis Bergkamp, Frank and Ronald DeBoer, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and more recently Dutch stars such as Rafael Van Der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Nigel De Jong.

Ajax graduate Johan Cruyff went on to propose the formation of an academy system at Barcelona, inspired by the system in place at the Dutch giants . The La Masia academy has proved just as successful with its alumni including Pep Guardiola, Liverpool's Pepe Reina and much of the current Barca squad including Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pique, Fabregas, Busquets, Pique, Puyol and Victor Valdes.

A Quarter Final meeting with Olympiacos at Villa followed and an early goal by Graham Burke As if that wasn't enough, the victory was made all the sweeter as it took place under the watchful gaze of Ajax Academy graduate and current Ajax Manager Frank De Boer.

A Quarter Final meeting with Olympiacos at Villa followed and an early goal by Graham Burke was enough to send the Villa through to the Semi Finals.

A tough test awaited our young Lions in Lake Como as they met Portuguese outfit Sporting Clube de Portugal. It was left to Semis hero Graham

Burke to open the scoring with an early second half penalty however it didn't take long for Sporting to grab a well deserved equaliser.

The lads in Claret and Blue had to withstand some serious pressure from the Portugeuse but showed real grit and determination to dig in and force the game in to extra time and were rewarded for their efforts.

Just moments in to the first period of extra time Callum Robinson found Jack Grealish at the back post who duly forced a shot past the Sporting stopper. The final nail in the coffin came with a minute of the first period remaining, as captain Samir Carruthers led by example and found the back of the net to fire his side into the Final.

The youngsters last challenge was to overcome a strong Chelsea side in an all English Final. Surviving some serious pressure in the first half the tide turned in the Villa's favour after the break. Graham Burke cemented a great Finals, sealing the win with two second half spot kicks to see the Under 19's crowned Champions of Europe. The fantastic final performance took place under the watchful gaze of Paul Lambert and I'm sure he, like the rest of the us, could see some future first teamers in Monday's line up. Just in case he needs any help we here at The Villa Times are going to give him a helping hand!

Some of Villa’s Tournament Hero’s

By James Baylis

Samir Carruthers Carruthers will probably be the most familiar name to Villa fans, having already made a few appearances for the first team under Alex McLeish. The former Arsenal youth joined the Villa in 2009 and quickly made a name for himself in the Academy and Reserve sides. Having already captained the Arsenal Under 16's the attacking midfielder further demonstrated his leadership skills as he captained the Villa side to European glory.

Already capped at Under 19 and Under 21 level for the Republic of Ireland, Carruthers offers an alternative attacking option for Paul Lambert thanks to his great passing ability and a natural eye for goal.

Not convinced? Villa and Austria striker Andi Weimann is a fan claiming, "Samir is really good on the ball and you can see by the way that he plays, he has no fear.

I'm sure he will get more chances and he has a really good future."

Jack Grealish Local lad Grealish really shone in the Next Gen Series this year. The highly rated winger has put in some fantastic performances for the Academy and Reserve sides. Having regularly featured off the bench in last years Next Gen, the Republic of Ireland youngster showed everyone he had arrived tearing defences to shreds.

Able to get up and down the wings and provide excellent assists, his Semi Final strike against Sporting proved the Birmingham born attacker can score goals just as well as he can help create them.

Brad Watkins Following in the footsteps of Friedel and Guzan, Watkins is the latest Brad to step between the sticks for Villa. A fantastic first half performance in the Final against Chelsea earned him high praise from his captain, "You have to be able to go and put your body on the line and I thought Brad in goal was absolutely outstanding." Carruthers continued, "If it wasn't for him Chelsea would have scored a few."

Watkins is still very young, especially for a goalkeeper, and sits behind Under 21 and reserve 'keepers Benjamin Siegrist and Callum Barrett in the pecking order yet the performances in Europe set the England Under 17 International in good stead for the future.

Josh Barton Another exciting winger, this lad from Northern Ireland has been described as having "pace reminscent of Gabby Agbnonlahor." A regular fixture in the Academy side, the youngster can tear defences apart with his blistering pace, send the ball in with great accuracy and also chip in with a goal or two.

Michael Drennan Described by Academy manager Bryan Jones as a striker that "scores goals for fun", the Irishman finished the competition as leading goal scorer. The Irishman has already featured for the Villa Academy, Reserves and in last years NextGen Series and has found the back of the net for all of them. A Republic of Ireland Under 16's Player of the Year, Under 17 and Under 19's international, Drennan sadly missed the Finals after injuring his foot.

Graham Burke Another Republic of Ireland youth International, Burke first appeared on the Villa supporters horizons thanks to an excellent performance in a 2011-12 pre-season fixture against Walsall. A proven goal-scorer at Academy, FA Youth Cup, Reserve and first team (friendly) level.

If anyone feared Villa would struggle to find the net following Drennan's injury Burke quickly put them to bed scoring the winner in the Quarter Finals, the opener in the Semi and both penalties in the Final.

Weimann, Benteke and co need to watch their backs as Burkey will surely be snapping at their heels for a first team place from next season onward.

Christened "Little Legends" by Under 19's coach Tony McAndrew, the youngsters will undoubtedly go down in the Villa Academy History Books. Being crowned Champions of Europe proves without doubt the calibre of our youngsters and proves the Academy is still one of the strongest around.

It remains to be seen whether these lads will follow in the footsteps of Weimann, Agbonlahor, Clark and Gardner and make the step up into the first team but if their impressive European performances are anything to go by I'm sure they'll be giving Paul Lambert some selection headaches next season and beyond.

thevillatimes.com Issue 6 17

Villa Managers

Main Picture: This iconic picture shows Villa’s Peter McParland winning the toss, Right Top: Villa’s FA Cup winning team with the cup, Right: Manager Eric Houghton with Villa coach Bill Moore posing with the cup 18 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Eric Houghton The last time Aston Villa successfully lifted the FA Cup was on May 4th 1957.

Adrian Nevett tells us about “Mr Aston Villa” and the man who signed Gerry Hitchens.

After a brilliant season in schools football, during which he scored 88 goals, he was recommended to Aston Villa by his uncle Cecil Harris. He signed amateur forms in August 1927, giving up a bakery job he turned professional a year later. Houghton gained rapid promotion to the senior side as a left winger, missing a penalty on his debut in January 1930. His form didn't go unnoticed by the England selectors, who awarded him seven caps in the early thirties. In total he made 392 appearances for the Villa, scoring 170 goals, many of them as a result of the free kicks for which he enjoyed such a fearsome reputation.

No one expected Houghton to excel quite so quickly as he did during the season of 193031, in which he scored 30 times as Villa finished as First Division runners-up, and he was rewarded by an England call-up. He netted in that game, too, a 5-1 victory over All Ireland. He was known as a deadball specialist, many of the 170 senior goals he netted before leaving Villa Park in 1946 having come from penalties and free-kicks.

Houghton's new club was lowly Nott’s County, for whom he played until 1949 when he took over as manager. There he led them to the Third Division (South) title in his first campaign as the boss. Three seasons of mediocre consolidation followed before he took the job closest to his heart, that of managing Aston Villa. He set about revitalising the once-great club which had fallen on mediocre times. He gave youngsters a chance and he spent heavily on well-known recruits, but could not achieve his ambition of mounting a realistic championship challenge.

But on the 4th May, 1957, at Wembley Stadium, in front of just over 99,000 fans, Aston Villa upset the odds to beat newly-crowned League champions Manchester United in the FA Cup Final, albeit in controversial circumstances after United's goalkeeper Ray Wood was seriously injured. Villa winning 2 – 1 against the Busby Babes with both of their goals, scored by Peter McParland. Tommy Taylor got United's goal. It was Villa's first major trophy for 37 years. However, hopes that the Wembley victory would inspire a general recovery were dashed and, with his side struggling near the foot of the table, a sad Houghton was sacked in November 1958.

Houghton joined Nottingham Forest as chief scout and bossed non-League Rugby Town in the early 1960s, before serving Walsall in various capacities, including director. Next he enjoyed a second return to Villa Park, pioneering the club lottery before taking a seat on the board for seven years from 1972, and in 1983 was elevated to senior vice-president.

On the 1st May 1996, Eric Houghton died at the age of 85 in Sutton Coldfield. Aston Villa lost one of their most loyal servants and an ambassador of immeasurable worth. Often referred to as, “Mr Aston Villa” in recognition of his long standing service, and contribution to the club. He was elected to Aston Villas Hall of Fame.

He also played seven first-class matches as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler for Warwickshire County Cricket Club (1946–1947) and also minor counties cricket for Lincolnshire County Cricket Club. His son Neil is the current Chairman of Warwickshire County Cricket Club and his greatnephew Chris Woods was an England international goalkeeper.

thevillatimes.com Issue 6 19

Exclusive Interview

Ken Barrett K

Ken Barrett was a part-time pro with Aston Villa during the late ’50s. He scored twice on his first-team debut and also bagged one in the following game.

The Army, Lincoln City and Stourbridge FC all benefited from his service. In his own words Ken takes up the story of his short but fascinating Aston Villa career…

After an all too brief career in League football, National Service took me away to the Army. Initially based at Blandford Forum and later Arborfield, Reading but due to my past I was made a P.T.I (Physical Training Instructor) and was packed off to Aldershot for training. My work was mostly in the gymnasium and I was responsible for taking the runners out. I held my own at sprinting, 100 and 200 yards and turned out for the Royal Army team but over 4 or 5 miles I was bloody hopeless. The trouble was they were too fast for me so I had to keep stopping them and make them do piggybacks and the like, that way I was ok.

Of course when you go into the Army they know all about you, especially if you played football.

They remarked, “You played for Aston Villa and Lincoln, well we’ll have you in the Army side.” I played for the Army against the pick of the League at Sunderland’s old ground Roker Park. We won 2-1 and I scored the opening goal, Baxter crossed it and I headed it in, I can still see it now.

You remember these goals, like my first one at Villa. I couldn’t miss that. It was a cross from Les

Smith and I jumped up and headed it down and in it went, I was more surprised than anybody that I’d actually scored a goal, on my debut and at the Holte End, which made it special for me with being a fan.

Villa Park was the first, First Division ground I ever went to when I was about 10-years-old. They got crowds of 70,000 in those days. I was hooked and have been a fan ever since.Frank Shell, was the club scout when I was 15-years of age and playing for Stoke Works. He watched me play and asked if I’d like to go and have a trial with the Villa. “YES PLEASE.” I went along and played in the sixth team, fifth, fourth and went straight through the lot – brilliant!

I used to take a bus to Villa Park and then somebody there would take us by car to where we were playing.Before playing against Arsenal mid-week in what was my third game in the Villa’s first team colours I’d put a full shift in at the Longbridge plant where I was an apprentice press toolmaker. Many of my work colleagues were Villa fans and spent the day telling me, “You’d better bloody score tonight Barrett!” I knocked off at about 5.30pm and got the bus up. My mates went to the turnstiles and I made my way to the player’s entrance.

I remember the game quite well, we got beat 2-1 and I had a chance to score about 10 minutes from time. Somebody pushed a through ball to me and I hit it. The ball scraped the post and went the wrong side.

I could quite easily have scored five goals in

Main Picture: Ken Barrett, bottom right, turning out for the Villa third team at Halesowen. Above: Ken Barrett at an Aston Villa Former Players Association charity golf day, left to right, Event sponsor, Ken 'Shunter' Roberts, Ken Barrett and Dave Poutney. Right: Wilkes postcard of Ken. 20 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

five games if that one had gone the other side of the post against Arsenal. And then there was that chance at Elland Road. Their goalkeeper was beat; he was miles away and Cush who was on the line jumped up and headed the ball onto the bar. He was only a little bloke, oh Jesus – if only.

I took my mum and dad up in the car to one match we were playing but I can’t remember which one to be quite honest. I was late getting there and the crowds were walking down to the match. There were that many some of the police were on horseback. My window was down and my mum said, “we’ve got a player in here trying to get to the game.” The mounted copper said, “don’t worry I’ll get you through.” He trotted up the middle of the road parting the crowd with me following in my little motor.

On the morning of the Luton Town match at Kenilworth Road – which transpired to be my last game in the Villa first team – I was asleep at home in Bromsgrove when the household was woken very early by a policeman knocking on the door, we looked out of the window and he said, “ Don’t be alarmed son but you need to get your backside up to Villa Park, you’re playing for Villa today at Luton, so you’d better get a move on!”

When I started playing football and especially when I was playing for the Villa I’d have played for nothing. If they’d said, “you can play for us but you’re not getting any money,” I’d have said, “fine, no problem, I want

fto play for the Villa.”

Ken and his wife Pat live in the same Worcestershire town that Ken originates from. He plays golf every week at his local course and is known by his fellow golfers as the ‘Greyhound’ for his ability to get round the greens so quickly. He recently won the club’s prestigious ‘open’ and tees off a handicap of 14. He is also a regular at official Aston Villa Former Players Association functions.

Questions What was it like to make your debut for Aston Villa?

I’d played at Villa Park on many occasions over the last few seasons as that’s where the Central League side played their home matches, in front of crowds of 15,000+ and alongside many first-team lads coming back from injury (Vic Crowe, Gordon Lee, Billy Myerscough, Johnny Dixon as well as the fast emerging Alan Deakin and also a certain Ron Atkinson who never played in the first-team but would nonetheless go on to make a significant impact on the game). There were no nerves as such but an excitement that you were going to play for the team you support. As soon as the game started you forget everything and you’d play as though you were playing for the reserves or the third-team.

Most memorable game?

It’s got to be the Newcastle match. I played in a midweek reserve match at Manchester City in the week

leading up to the Newcastle game and Eric Houghton had come along to watch and I wondered at the time why he was there. I’d had a decent game and we stayed overnight before travelling back down. The following day I went into work (I was a part-time pro at Villa and worked at Longbridge) and in the evening paper it said, ‘It looks like Ken Barrett’s going to make his debut in Peter McParland’s absence.’ Eric had gone up to Maine Road to run the rule over me due to Peter being called away on international duty. I received a phone call from the club on the Friday to say that I was in.

Favourite player?

Jim Baxter, I played alongside him in the Army for two years and his ability to control the ball and ghost past opponents like they weren’t there was out of this world.

And his vision, he could make a pass without actually looking at you and it would find you perfectly - every time. He was a very clever player. For Villa it would have to be Johnny Dixon. I liked Johnny he was a top class player and a super bloke.

Most difficult opponent?

Don Howe, he knew just how much rope to give you.

He’d stand off you, some players give you too much room and others would get too close but he had that knack of staying just the right distance away. I rate don as the best full-back I ever played against.

By John J Abbott thevillatimes.com Issue 6 21

EVENTS

Save The Date Villa Events Coming Up

Wednesday, 10th ,

Former players Golf Day THE WARWICKSHIRE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB Sat 13th April

Fulham match Sunday April 14th

Gerry Hitchens Memorial Match Village of Highley, Kick off 1.30pm Sunday 14th April

L&L v Deacy's Galway XI Sutton Coldfield FC, Kick off 2.30pm Sunday 21st April

L&L Midlands Select v Mary Stevens Hospice XI Stourbridge FC, Kick off 2.30pm Thursday 25th April

L&L Spring Golf Day Aston Wood Golf Club, Sutton Coldfield Friday 26th April

Shaun Teale Night Sunday 28th April

L&L v Childrens Hospice XI Hollyfields, Kick off 2.30pm Mon 29th April

Sunderland - Home Tuesday 30th April

Aston Villa FC Golf Day Brabazon, Belfry, Sutton Coldfield Sunday 5th May

L&L v Sheldon Old Boys L&L Sheldon, Kick off 11am Thurs 9th May

Legends night – Bromsgrove Slugg and Lettuce, 7.30pm Sun 12th May

Chelsea - Home Sunday 19th May

L&L v Boldmere Falcons XI Boldmere, Kick off 2.30 22 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

26th May 2013

Steve Staunton Celebrity Golf Classic The Stephen Staunton Foundation was founded a year ago by the former Aston Villa stalwart so that he may give back to a society that gave so much to him during his playing days. The foundation has already raised a significant amount of money for local charities. No money is taken by those involved in the running of the S.S.F. so that every penny raised by its efforts goes to support worthwhile causes. Significant amounts have already been handed to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, St Giles Hospice Walsall and St. Giles Hospice Lichfield.

Having supported the Children with Cancer event in Marbella on the Costa Del Sol, Spain, by providing memorabilia for past events, the C.W.C. team asked if the S.S.F. could help stage a larger event in the area incorporating Golf. Without hesitation it agreed and the STEPHEN STAUNTON CELEBRITY GOLF CLASSIC was born.

The event will be supported by the Lions & Legends Association, so present on the day, along with Steve, will be many more star names from the past. These will include Villa legends Gordon Cowans, Peter Withe, Ken McNaught, John Gidman and many many more former greats. All lovely people give a great deal back and are fabulous fun to be around.

Should you be able to make the event and help support this wonderful cause, please contact Zoe on 07818 003695 or email zoe.martin@btinternet.com.

28th April 2013

Lions and Legends v B’ham Children’s Hospital The game being played will be for the Paul Swift (Bez) Memorial Trophy. Bez was a well loved, popular and generous man from Sutton Coldfield who passed away suddenly and tragically on the 20th October 2008 from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, his death shocked and stunned both his family and his many friends. Bez was a massive, massive Villa fan and also a well respected man whose smile would light up every room and occasion that he was at. The team to play the “Lions and Legends" will be made up of a group of Bez's friends who are nearly all massive Villa fans themselves and I know that Bez will be kicking every ball with us.

The money raised will be going to the Birmingham Childrens Hospital where on the 8th June 2011 a beautiful little boy Rudy was born to good friends of both ours and Bez's, Jeanette and Rupert. Rudy was born with a Critical Aortic Stenosis of the heart and due to the facilities and the dedicated staff team at the BCH, as well as Rudy's fighting spirit, Rudy will be 2 this coming June. Rudy will still require ongoing treatment at the hospital and the money raised from the game will be donated to Wards 11 & 12 which specialise in treating children with heart problems. Tickets for the game are £5 for adults and children under 12 are free. Tickets can be bought from Sean McDermott on:Tel; 07512205803 or Email; seanmcderm@hotmail.com

Go to www.thevillatimes.com for more Villa dates

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thevillatimes.com Issue 6 23

Gerry Hitchens Villa’s First Iconic Striker By Simon Goodyear

“Big, strong, fast and indeed quite brave. He was a handful for defenders who do not like players who would make them turn and keep coming back at them. Gerry was all that.”

Peter McParland

24 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

If you ask any Villa fan of a certain age (fans in their late 60s or 70s) who their favourite Villa player of all time was, I bet a large majority would say Gerry Hitchens; indeed, he was my own late father’s favourite player.

The life of Gerry Hitchens was a real ‘ragsto-riches’ story and something you’d find reading the Roy-of-the-Rovers comic but this was no fairy-tale story.

It is fair to say that Gerry didn’t possess the flair or outstanding skills of Roy Race but sometimes in football (and probably in life in general), natural ability, hard work and determination was enough, along with the willingness to learn and improve; however, to get yourself noticed in the football world, Gerry Hitchens had a bit extra to offer than your ‘ordinary, every-day footballer’ – the instinct to sniff out half chances and to score goals in abundance. Furthermore, everyone who knew Gerry said that he was not only a great footballer, but a true gentleman, something that many of the modern day footballer lacks it has to be said.

Gerry was a born in Rawnsley near Cannock in Staffordshire, on 8th October 1934 before the family moved to Highley in Shropshire when he was only 3. Growing up in those dark War years, Gerry was a Villa fan and he had a dream that one day he would play for England at Wembley, just like every young football mad kid does. Young Gerry was playing football in between his shifts as a miner until the age of 19, when one day he was playing for the Highley Miners Welfare club in a cup final at Aggborough and he was spotted by non-League Kidderminster Harriers and his performance was good enough to earn himself a contract with the Harriers. It was still a long way from that Wembley dream but it was fast developing. His performances for Kidderminster were good enough to be spotted by West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa but it was First

Division Cardiff City who came in with the money and the foresight to sign him for £1,500 on a part-time contract in January 1955. He was 21 and still had his best years ahead of him and Cardiff City took a chance on him and effectively kept his dream alive. Although he found it hard to break into the first team, it was at the ‘Bluebirds’ that he partnered the ex-Villa legend, Trevor Ford and his career seemed to take off and the goals started to flood in. In December 1957, Eric Houghton came back in for Gerry and signed his man for (a then) Villa record transfer fee of £22,500 in December 1957.

Aston Villa History “One of my favourite footballers and one of the nicest blokes to cross my path. Gerry was a gentleman on and off the pitch and ‘cool’ before the word was invented.” England team-mate, Jimmy Greaves

Gerry was still a relatively unheard of player and his Villa career started slowly and he found it hard to adjust to life at Villa Park. The expectations were high and he had come to a Villa side who had won the FA Cup six months previously and he was now mixing with the likes of Villa legends Peter McParland, Johnny Dixon and Nigel Sims. It wasn’t all plain sailing for the blond haired ex-miner as he was on the verge of being dropped by Joe Mercer (who replaced Houghton in 1958) at one stage in 1959, but Mercer persisted with the 5 foot 11 inch striker and Gerry paid back the manager’s faith in him by scoring an incredible 10 goals in the space of a fortnight, a feat which I don’t think will ever be repeated. Firstly, Gerry scored 5 goals in a post-War record 11 – 1 victory against Charlton on 14th November 1959 and that was followed by a hat-trick a week later against Bristol City and a brace at home to Scunthorpe the following week. It seemed to kick-start Gerry’s Villa career. It got even better in October 1960 when Gerry became the first post-War player to score a hat-trick in a Second-City derby as Villa trashed Birmingham City 6 – 2 at Villa Park – Gerry Hitchens was suddenly the darling of B6. It was later in that 1960-1961 season which made Gerry into a true Villa icon as he scored an incredible 42 goals in 56 League and Cup games, including 11 goals in 11 League Cup games as Villa went onto to win the very first League Cup. Peter McParland once described Gerry as, “Big, strong, fast and indeed quite brave. He was a handful for defenders who do not like players who would make them turn and keep coming back at them. Gerry was all that.”

Gerry Hitchens was suddenly the name on everyone’s lips and England was calling. Incredibly, the dream that Gerry had back in the 1930s when he was a nipper was becoming reality as Gerry was called up by

Walter Winterbottom to play for his country in May 1961 and he didn’t disappoint, scoring within 90 seconds of his debut in an 8 – 0 win against Mexico at Wembley. It was the next game a fortnight later which alerted Gerry Hitchens to the world as he scored a brace against a strong Italian side in Rome and suddenly, top clubs in Spain and Italy were chasing the striker.

Gerry never looked back after that day and was soon snapped up by Italian giants Inter Milan in the summer of 1961 for a record transfer deal worth £85,000 to Villa.

Suddenly, Villa fans hearts were broken as they had lost their hero, only to be replaced by Derek Dougan.

Gerry also played in the 1962 World Cup finals for England and scored against Brazil. However, his short England career was halted when Alf Ramsey took over as England manager after the World Cup as Ramsey preferred to pick home-based players and as Gerry was playing in Italy, he was discarded, never to play for his country again. His goal to game ratio wasn’t bad – 5 goals in 7 appearances. Gerry’s England team-mate, Jimmy Greaves described him as, “One of my favourite footballers and one of the nicest blokes to cross my path. Gerry was a gentleman on and off the pitch and ‘cool’ before the word was invented.”

Together with his beautiful wife Meriel the couple were the ‘Posh and Becks’ of the day and were adored by the paparazzi and followed everywhere they went in Italy. Gerry went on to spend eight years in Serie A, playing for four clubs including Inter Milan, Torino, Atalanta and Cagliari (a record which still stands in the Guinness Book of Records). The family returned to the UK in 1969 and he played out his career for Worcester City and Merthyr Tydfil and later settled in North Wales. Gerry continued to play in charity matches for several years until he collapsed and died

playing the game he loved in 1983 during another charity match in Mold, North Wales. He was only 48 but he’d lived the dream, the dream he had when he was a child and that was to play football for England at Wembley and not many people can say that.

The Gerry Hitchens Story – From Mine to Milan’ written by Simon Goodyear is still available at Amazon in paperback or e-book. thevillatimes.com Issue 6 25

Picture of the Month

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

1st March 2013, Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City

Picture shows, the Aston Villa and Manchester City teams line up before kick off with their match mascots.

Picture of the Month by Joe Merchant

A Family of Villa Fans

L

ike any Villa fan, my son will never forget the first game he went to. But unlike many other fans’ experience, it took place 3,500 miles from Villa Park.

As an AVFC fan and former Holte End season ticket holder exiled in the USA I took my family to see Villa on their preseason tour to Philadelphia in June 2012. We braved a thunderstorm to get there from our New York City suburb, but once we arrived (and because my kids were wearing some of my old Villa shirts which grabbed the attention of a Philadelphia Union employee on the way in) my son and daughter were chosen to walk on to the field holding the English flag before the game and stand on the pitch with the Villa team lined up behind them. And of course, then won (Nathan Delfouneso, 1-0).

The atmosphere was strange. Amid an announced crowd of more than 17,000 a hardcore of Villa fans did the team proud in one corner of the stadium, applauding in the 19th minute and singing throughout. And an impressive, coordinated group of home supporters kept things loud behind one of the goals. But there was a sterile feel to the proceedings.

Certainly, the result didn’t matter and Villa had a handful of players making their debuts which didn’t make for a flowing game. And to be fair, the home supporters were still getting to know their own team. The Union was in a two-year-old stadium and had only been in existence at all since 2008 and playing since 2010. But

while the Union team in their infancy were largely a mystery to all football fans at this point, so too were Villa on this night. The announcer even mispronounced USA international Eric Lichaj’s name. I’m not kidding.

AVFC had come off the back of a poor season and replaced their manager with their third choice – and hardly a household name back in England. The talk among the fans that night, other than Darren Bent and the Internet chatter that James Collins would soon be on his way, was pretty indifferent curiousity.

“Who’s that guy? Is he any good?” the fans near me would ask.

“That’s Matthew Lowton, and… I don’t know yet.” I would reply.

And while some Major League Soccer (MLS) snobs sneer at the European leagues (and would accuse the European fans of doing the same to MLS) some are, at best, knowledgeable enough of the world

game to appreciate that Villa are a middling Premier League team but… not much more than that. The glory days of the Premier League era were 20 years ago. The peak of European glory was 30 years ago.

MLS itself has only been playing since 1996.

For argument’s sake, Villa on this night might as well have been Everton or Fulham – a team with a recognizable name and some American ties (Howard, Donovan from time to time; McBride, Dempsey). But not a team any casual sports fans in the USA would have any appreciation of.

Which begs the question, why were Villa in Philadelphia at all?

Kyle Alm lives in Seattle, Washington and writes for the American Soccer News blog. While a big fan of the world game, he admits Villa are largely under his radar.

“I consider them a middle-of-the-road team at best,” he says. “I’ve heard them referred to as a working-class team which seems to me to be reflected in the way they play: with more enthusiasm and aggression than skill.”

In a country where soccer operates in the shadow of American Football, baseball, basketball and to a lesser extent, even ice hockey, Alm is a long-term fan who has followed the English game since he was five. But even given AVFC’s American ties, it doesn’t make much difference to his level of interest in them.

“I didn’t realize Villa were owned by an

“I consider them a middle-of-the-road team at best,” he says. “I’ve heard them referred to as a working-class team which seems to me to be reflected in the way they play: with more enthusiasm and aggression than skill.”

Kyle Alm, American Soccer News blog

28 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Fan Feature

American,” he says. “But it doesn’t matter to me. I know Guzan plays there, but I’ve never even heard of Lichaj (a surprise to me – he has eight International Caps although he never made much of a name for himself as an MLS player). I paid more attention to Fulham because of Brian McBride, Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson who all flourished in MLS before moving to the Premier League. The players matter to me, not the owners.”

“Villa touring the USA was about trying to grow the brand,” says Dr. Scott Rosner, the Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. “A pre-season tour obviously prepares the players, but it’s an opportunity to maximize the brand name and make some money through merchandise sales and obviously ticket sales which will get your more sponsorship.”

In the last seven years or so the coverage of the Premier League has not just increased in volume (big Premier League games have been televised in the USA on regular channels for the first time in the last 12 months, and not just on sports channels) but also in sophistication. The half-time experts include former player Warren Barton (who’s pretty good) alongside Eric Wynalda (former MLS player and US International (also good) and Steve McManaman (who’s certainly very excitable) as opposed to the not-so-distant past when soccer games were covered by American guys who drew the short straw and found themselves talking about a topic on which they know very little.

Where do Aston Villa fit into this new era of sophisticated exposure? “There are English teams who have an established following over here,” says Rosner.

“Fans here know Manchester United and signing players like Tim Howard and Donovan certainly made Everton more familiar to American audiences. That is coupled by the increase in coverage, which means fans can actually watch US stars on TV, most likely in real time. But Aston Villa right now are not really part of that group of teams soccer fans in the USA are going to pay much attention to.”

It’s hard to step back and say “how can people think that about Villa?” when everyone reading this magazine is blinkered into thinking about AVFC in a certain way – it’s a thing of real significance to us. But really, did any of us become Bari fans when David Platt moved there - even when we did have the chance to watch him on Channel 4 every so often? And would Richard Branson buying the Chicago Fire make us fans overnight?

And choosing a team is not as easy as picking one out of a hat. When I moved to New York City, I let myself get chosen by the many sports teams in the area. I ended up being a fan of the Giants, the Yankees, the Knicks and the Rangers when I could just as easily being a fan of the Jets, the Mets, the Nets and the Islanders. Some were enjoying success, but others were slumping and mediocre at best. It was just a good fit, and once chosen, you can’t be unchosen.

Forcing a team down someone’s throat is no guarantee fans are going to end up devoting time, effort and money to that team in return. Why are so many casual soccer fans over here seen wearing Manchester United and Chelsea shirts? Because they win, and winning is something Americans, like most human beings, like to be a part of.

Dr. Rosner adds: “If Villa wanted to push their brand more, they could invest in some wellknown American players for sure. But there’s only so many of those to go around. Michael Bradley, who was at Villa for a while on loan, is well known and talented but it’s harder to sell a defensive midfield player than a free-scoring flair forward. It’s absolutely diligent to continue with the tours, but winning is the biggest thing Villa could do to promote their name globally. And not on a

short-term level.”

“Villa might also consider shifting their focus away from North America and to the rest of the world with a tour or a high-profile signing. But the best strategy for any team wanting success and to grow their brand name globally and consistently is to invest in good management, on-field talent and the youth academy.

Sustainability is vital,” he says.

Certainly I have found the shift from following AVFC in person in my 20’s to watching on TV in my 30’s far more palatable at a time when information, live games and colour coverage have never been more accessible. When I first moved to NYC in 1999, I had to find a soccer bar to watch the Villa games in, when they

were televised at all, and usually pay $20 or so (although that included an English breakfast) for the privilege. Now I get to watch every top-flight game of the weekend more often than not over the course of the weekend.

But wouldn’t it be good if, sooner rather than later, the USA could embrace Aston Villa with the same passion they have other more successful teams based on the merits of their young talented players and their trophy cabinet?

It sounds like all it will take is a decade or so of consistent success…

By Adam Keeble

thevillatimes.com Issue 6 29

Exclusive Interview

You may recognise this month’s Villa Times celebrity fan interviewee, Rory Keenan, from his many film and television appearances.

By Jason Connelly

His CV boasts on screen roles with world renowned actors Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey and Gerard Butler in the 2002 film ‘Reign Of Fire’ as well as working alongside Irish compatriot, Colin Farrell, in ‘Intermission’ from 2003.

The impressive array doesn’t end there, however, as Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle and Anne Hathaway are also included in an ever growing list of co-stars.

He is best known for his television roles as Kevin King in On Home Ground (2001-2002) and as Michael in The Clinic, in 2003 and is a graduate of the BA degree course in Drama and Theatre Studies in Trinity College, Dublin. Rory attended both the Coffee School of Drama and Young People's Theatre Group.

Theatre credits include Six Characters in Search of an Author and She Stoops to Folly at the Abbey Theatre, A Christmas Carol at the Gate Theatre, Monged (Fishamble), The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz in the Olympia Theatre, Carousel at the Tivoli, Picnic in the Focus, How He Lied to Her Husband at Bewley's Cafe Theatre and Sonnets For an Old Century at the Project.

Rory appeared in the title role of The Drunkard, a new adaptation by Tom Murphy for B*spoke Theatre Company and the Galway Arts Festival, directed by Lynne Parker which transferred to the Olympia Theatre. He appeared in the title role of Second Age's production of Hamlet directed by Alan Stanford.

Rory appeared as Captain Molyneaux in The Shaughran directed by John McColgan at the Abbey Theatre which transferred to the Albery Theatre, London.

He also appeared as Salvador Dali in Hysteria directed by Loveday Ingram at the Project Arts Centre for b*spoke Theatre company and in Level Land, a play by Rich Hall at the Assembly Rooms for Edinburgh 2006, directed by Guy Masterson.

He took on the role of Michael in Festen directed by Selina Cartmell at the Gate Theatre for the Dublin Theatre Festival, 2006 and went on play Charles Surface in The School for Scandal, directed by Jimmy Fay, at the Abbey Theatre.

Rory appeared in Don Carlos directed by Lynne Parker for Rough Magic Theatre Company at the Project Arts Centre, and appeared as Fred in Edward Bond's Saved directed by Jimmy Fay at the Peacock Theatre, Dublin.

30 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

He also appeared as Ronan in Last Days of the Celtic Tiger by Paul Howard, directed by Jimmy Fay for Landmark Productions at the Olympia theatre, Dublin for which he won the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor 2007.

Rory also played the title role of Macbeth in Selina Cartmell's acclaimed production at the Empty Space.

As well as being a sought after voiceover artist, Rory's radio credits include Parenting, The Pied Piper of Hamlyn, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Children of No Importance, The Dead School, The Tempest, The Big Chapel, The Merchant of Venice and Wuthering Heights all for RTE Radio.

TV and film credits include The Clinic (Parallel Films/RTE), Aristocrats (BBC), Dear Dilemma (RTE), a leading role in two seasons of On Home Ground (RTE), Intermission (Company of Wolves), Ella Enchanted (Miramax), Reign Of Fire (Disney), Close, Gun, How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate, Flesh and Blood and Benedict Arnold (ABC TV).

Rory appeared in a leading role (Keith) in Showbands, a two part TV movie for RTE, directed by Ian Fitzgibbon and produced by Parallel Films.

Rory also appeared in The Guard, a feature film written and directed by John McDonagh and starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle for Element Films. He also appeared in The Big Fellah directed by Max Stafford Clarke for Out of Joint Productions on tour across the UK and at the Lyric, Hammersmith.

Watch out for Rory on your screens in the very near future as he appears in Law & Order on ITV in May and will also be performing in The National Theatre throughout the summer. Rory lists countyman Paul McGrath as his favourite Villain with Martin O’Neill his favourite gaffer... Read on below for his exclusive interview with The Villa Times.

Questions Do you believe in the Villa fans saying that you are "born a Villa fan"?

There was no previous history of Villa fans in my family, so it was a choice for me when I was very young. So maybe I "grew up" a Villa fan.

Who is your all time favourite Villa Player?

Paul McGrath. Who else.

Who was your favourite Villa manager?

Martin O'Neill Have you ever visited Villa Park for any games?

If so, which game was it?

A few times. The first time is always the best. My dad brought me over from Dublin to watch Villa beat Liverpool.

You recently starred with fellow Villa fan Brendan Gleeson and Hollywood star Don Cheadle, what was the experience like to star alongside them and any funny stories during filming?

It was great to work with them, particularly Brendan.

The severe Irish weather we had to deal with was pretty comical.

You have starred in some great TV series like Primeval and Law and Order UK, what do we hope to see you on soon?

Ill be appearing in Law and Order UK on ITV in May/June, and then ill be performing in The National Theatre through the summer.

There is a large number of Villa Lions clubs in Ireland, the largest being in Dublin. Do you ever go down to Murrays Bar, O'Connell St (Irish Lions base) when you get a chance?

I haven't been unfortunately.

What do you think of the current team and manager and how they are doing?

I think the resilience shown recently against QPR and Reading has been fantastic. Benteke has been invaluable and Brad Guzan has consistently kept relegation at bay.

I like Lambert and I hope he is afforded the time to build on what is starting to look like a dynamic and fiercely competitive first 11.

Do you hope to visit Villa Park soon for a match?

I really hope so. I live in London now, so it's an easier commute than from Dublin.

Do you know any other actors that are Villa fans?

Brendan Gleeson, whom you mentioned, his son Domhnall, Pauline McGlynn, and Sean McKenzie whom I worked with on the BBC series Birdsong

What is the earliest match your remember?

I remember watching endless replays of Dalian Atkinson's wonder goal against Wimbledon in the early 90s. Have you ever met any Villa Players?

Its nice to see it feature on the opening credits of Match Unfortunately not. of The Day Interview By Jason Connolly

For all the latest news, follow Rory on Twitter - @rory_keenan. thevillatimes.com Issue 6 31

LEGENDS

ANNIVERSARY EVENING

A NIGHT WITH

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SLUG & LETTUCE 9TH OF MAY 2013 | TICKETS £10 | FREE BUFFETT AND PRIZE DRAW BROMSGROVE

A Fan Growing Up

Heart of a Lion

By Andy Evans

Being a Villa supporter in the ten years between 1986 and 1996 meant that you spent most of the time on the edge of your seat Well, let’s begin at the beginning, shall we? I’m Andy Evans – a 34-year-old Villa fan currently living in Bletchley in Milton Keynes, but I was born with claret and blue blood. Growing up in Sutton Coldfield – Streetly, to be precise – there was going to be no other team for me; plus, my family had been Villa supporters since the turn of the century, so even if I’d wanted to support another team they wouldn’t have let me. Thankfully, I had better sense than that.

After falling in love with football following the 1986 Mexico World Cup, I quickly became obsessed with all things Villa related, and eagerly awaited the 1986/87 campaign where I could cheer on my newly discovered team. Little was I to know that the season would be one of the worst in Villa’s history. I should have suspected something when I went to my first game against Norwich on 20th September and saw Villa capitulate to a 4-1 defeat. In less time than it took Simon Stainrod to grow his tremendous mullet (possibly), Villa had gone from European Champions to relegation fodder, and it was no surprise when they finished bottom at the end of the season.

Bizarrely, though, I look upon that season as a blessing. As a football fan, you need to learn as quickly as possible that things will rarely go your way – if ever – and that times will often be tough. The worst season that Villa have ever had during my time as a supporter was my first season, so it was a horrible but necessary baptism of fire – and surely things could only get better after that…

The answer to that of course is yes, but it

Following the 1986 Mexico World Cup, I quickly became obsessed with all things Villa related. came a bit close at times. In fact, being a Villa supporter in the ten years between 1986 and 1996 meant that you spent most of the time on the edge of your seat. I mean, just look at what happened to Villa during that time: relegated in 1987, promoted in 1988, nearly relegated in 1989, nearly champions in 1990, nearly relegated in 1991, nearly champions in

1993, League Cup winners in 1994, nearly relegated in 1995 and League Cup winners in 1996. Throw in a few European campaigns (Inter Milan in 1990 springs to mind for some reason), one or two extraordinary results (6-2 against Everton in 1989 and 5-2 at White Hart Lane on the day of the 1992 Grand National) and the fact that those years coincided with my childhood, and you have an eventful and evocative decade in which to have been a supporter.

Since then, I have been to University in Preston, lived briefly in Manchester (the least said about that, the better) and moved back to Streetly, before relocating to Bletchley in 2006 where I now work as a freelance writer and editor. But my love for the Villa has remained as strong as ever. I might not be able to go to as many games as I used to (geography and finance tends to get in the way of such things) but I make sure I get to Villa Park at least once a season to cheer them on. After all, once a Villa fan, always a Villa fan.

But the memories of that decade between the mid 80s and 90s remain as strong as ever, so last year I decided to write a book about those halcyon days. The book is called Heart of a Lion, which seems to say it all really, and it looks at what it was like to be a football fan – and particularly a Villa fan – during that time, looking at 20 games which cover the period. So far I am 20,000 words into the book, so it is still ongoing. This monthly column will therefore be a progress report into how the book is going, as well as being a nostalgic trip into a time which is still remembered by many Villa fans. I hope you will enjoy it. thevillatimes.com Issue 6 33

AWAY TRAVEL

C

The Club I found to be particularly friendly and relaxed. I certainly would rate it as one of the better away days, even though it seems an eternity to get there. arrow Road has been steadily redeveloped since the late 1970's, with all four sides of the ground having new stands. The newest of these is the Jarrold South Stand at one side of the pitch which was opened in 2004. It is an impressive looking cantilever, single tier, all seated stand, that can house up to 8,000 supporters. It is unusual in having not one, but three separate television gantries suspended beneath its largely perspex roof. This stand was further extended in 2005 and now surrounds the corner of the ground where it joins the Norwich & Peterborough Stand, 'filling in' that area. The rest of the ground is also all seated and all stands are covered. Both ends look particularly smart, being large two tiered affairs, complete with a row of executive boxes and distinctive pairs of large floodlight pylons protruding from their roofs. The first of these to be built was the River End in 1979 (it was later renamed the Norwich & Peterborough Stand),

is the Geoffrey Watling City Stand. Named after a former club president and opened in 1986, this single tiered stand is smaller than both ends and houses amongst other things the Directors Box and Press Area. This stand extends around to meet the ends at both corners, giving the ground an enclosed look on that side. In one corner in-between the Barclay End and Jarrold South Stand, the stadium is overlooked by a sizeable Holiday Inn Hotel. David Westgate adds; 'The corner in-fill between the Barclay Stand and the Geoffrey Watling City Stand is affectionately known to Norwich fans as the "Snake Pit!" Away fans are housed on one side of the new South Stand, on one side of the ground. As you would expect from a new stand the facilities and view of the playing action are good. The normal allocation in this area is 2,500 fans although this can be increased further for cup games. If you are located at the very back of this stand then you can enjoy some fine views

Sat 4th May 2013, Carrow Rd, Norwich City 34 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

across the city, including Norwich Cathedral. The Club I found to be particularly friendly and relaxed. I certainly would rate it as one of the better away days, even though it seems an eternity to get there.

As Delia Smith is on the board of Norwich City, the food available within the ground has been spruced up a fair bit and is very good. The Club even bake their own pies which not only include the usual array such as steak & kidney, chicken & mushroom, but also a number of 'matchday specials' (which change from game to game) such as beef in red wine gravy & cheese, mushroom and garlic.

Where To Drink?

The main pub for away fans is the 'Compleat Angler', which is located opposite the railway station. It is situated on a river bank and has a nice outside terrace outside overlooking the river. The pub itself is a bit basic but offers food and is away fan friendly. It is a about a ten minute walk away from Carrow Road. Otherwise Norwich has a number of pubs located in its centre, in fact on one visit I found a number of good pubs situated in-between the train station and the ground, that were friendly. In fact I almost ended up being a pub crawl before the match had begun!

Sun 19th May, DW Stadium, Wigan

The DW Stadium was opened in 1999 after the Club moved from its former home of Springfield Park, where it had been in residence since the Club's formation in 1932. The DW is a functional stadium but overall it has somewhat of a bland look. In fact I would say that it looks more interesting from the outside from a distance than it does within.

The four separate stands are of roughly the same height and are all single tiered. They are also quite steep meaning that fans are sat quite close to the playing action, although this is mitigated a little by the fact that the stands themselves are set back a fair distance from the pitch perimeter.

Both the side stands have large supporting steel frameworks visible above their roofs, whilst oddly both ends are different, having the steel framework located below the roof line. Unusually for a modern stadium, it does seem to be lacking in the number of corporate areas and executive boxes. There is an electric scoreboard above the Boston (East) Stand, on one side of the ground.

The stadium was originally named the JJB Stadium under a sponsorship deal was lasted for 10 years. This was replaced by a new deal in August 2009, which saw the stadium being renamed the DW Stadium in partnership with DW Sports Fitness. The stadium is also shared with Wigan Warriors Rugby League club.

Of interest outside the ground is Robins Park, where Wigan play their reserve games and athletics meetings are held. There is quite a sizeable stand on one side of the Park, which was better than a lot that I have seen at other grounds around the country.

Away fans are located in the North Stand at one end of the stadium, where up to 5,400 visiting supporters can be accommodated. The stadium is functional and the facilities adequate, but it just seems to lack something, to give it that memorable feeling. The view of the playing action and leg room are generally adequate. To the left of the away section is where the singing Wigan fans tend to congregate, who are aided by a drummer. On the concourse alcohol is available in the form of Tetleys and Carling. To try and bring some the order, there is a queuing system in force which is overseen by the stewards (plus if I remember correctly you could only buy two beers per person). Apart from the beer, I did enjoy one of the best meat and potato pies that I have had in a long time.

“The Swan and Railway pub opposite North Western railway station was very welcoming.

They encouraged us to put our flag up in the window and were very pleasant to us all�

Where to Drink?

Otherwise in the centre of town is a Wetherspoons outlet called the 'Moon Under Water' which was popular with away supporters. Also worth a visit is the award winning 'Anvil' pub, which is located next to the bus station. Both these pubs are listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Also worth a mention is the Berkeley on Wallgate (near the railway station). This fair sized pub, had a good mix of home and away supporters on my last visit, serves five ever changing real ales and shows Sky Sports on a huge screen. Otherwise alcohol is available inside the stadium.

The Swan and Railway pub opposite North Western railway station was very welcoming. They encouraged us to put our flag up in the window and were very pleasant to us all. thevillatimes.com Issue 6 35

Sacred Heart The

Club, Grange Rd, Aston, Birmingham, B6 6LA, Tel: 0121 241 1724

Matchday Parking Live Music Friday, Saturday &, Sunday Sunday Lunch for only ÂŁ4.95 Smoking Shelters with TVs and Bar Live Sports on 5 screens

Now taking memberships for next season, call 0121 241 1724 for more infomation 36 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

J Leyfield ames

Villa Showbiz News

Mad Villa fan James is TV Editor at showbiz news agency BANG Showbiz, who he joined as showbiz reporter in 2011. His diverse music taste – ranging from Slipknot to Taylor Swift, with a bit of N-Dubz thrown in – is the envy of his colleagues.

When he's not stalking Caroline Flack, he's reading about what Tulisa and Taylor have been up to and longing for the day NDubz and B*Witched get back together. Follow him on Twitter @JamesJourn

Wills and Kate worried about drop

Prince William is worried about the drop – but not the type his wife Duchess Catherine is expecting.

The 30-year-old royal is said to be concerned about the Villa getting relegated and the pregnant brunette – who was known as Kate Middleton before they married – has similar concerns about life in the Championship for her beloved Reading.

Fortunately for Wills, it looks as though Kate – who suffered a bad bout of morning sickness during the early stages of her pregnancy - has much more to worry about on the drop front than our future king after Villa's 2-1 win at the Madejski Stadium in March kick-started some decent form for Lambert's Lions.

One of their pals told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper: “It is an anxious time, especially for William, who is a dedicated Villa fan.

"I think he is more anxious about his team now that Kate has got over her early pregnancy difficulties.

"The duchess knows a lot more than people realise about football. I don’t know what the tension is like between her and William over their teams, but, if it is anything like Scrabble, it will be tense.”

The couple are known to enjoy a bit of husband and wife rivalry when it comes to playing Scrabble, as Kate – whose parents are friends with Reading chairman and former owner Sir John Madejski – recently revealed to Olympic boxer Anthony He may not be too generous to Premier Ogogo.

League defenders, but Gabby Agbonlahor Recalling a conversation he had with the duchess has shown he has the gift of the Gab off on documentary 'Our Queen', the fighter said: the pitch when it comes to charity.

"When William and Kate play Scrabble they don't Villa's speed demon recently helped usually finish it - because one of them slams it Birmingham-based children's hospice shut."

Acorns raise a staggering total of more While Wills and Kate can't do a lot about Villa and than £195,000 on Acorns Day, and the Reading's fortunes this season, I would like to think 26-year-old star – who has really upped they settle their footballing differences on football his game lately – used the occasion to game Fifa after taking some tips from Prince Harry. praise the generosity of the Villa faithful The flame-haired royal is known to have a penfor sticking by the team this season. chant for playing the title and recently admitted he Speaking during a visit to Acorns' Worcesoften "thrashes" his army colleagues when he takes ter hospice, he told the Birmingham Mail them on. newspaper: “The Villa fans have stuck The Arsenal fan said: "I'm one of those people who with the players and that’s great to see. loves playing PlayStation and Xbox, so with my There have been a lot of changes around thumbs I like to think that I'm probably quite useful. the squad and around the whole face of "You can ask the guys, I thrash them at Fifa the the club really. whole time."

“They’ve bought into that from the way you hear them on the terraces and the Even if you're not playing like a Premiership team all the time, it's nice to look the part. way they’ve stuck with the squad during Villa have ensured they will do just that when they turn up at matches from now on after some bad results. an agreement with Harvey Nichols.

“They’ve kept behind us in games we’ve The big-time department store chain has supplied the players with some navy blue Paul not got the results we should have and Smith outfits – which are thought to cost around £1,000 - to wear as the club's official they’ve stayed on our side. The past couteam suits when they rock up to games. ple of months especially have shown While Paul Lambert is a fan of donning a tracksuit in the dugout during games, he has we’re grafting out those results.” also backed the smart new additions to the squad.

As well as Gabby – who is an Acorns amHe said: "It’s important that, in representing the club, players and staff look smart, stylish bassador - Villa chairman Randy Lerner and ready for business.” showed his kindness by matching the The luxury suits have come courtesy of Harvey Nichols in Birmingham city centre's Mail£97,000 raised by fans, players and staff box and Richard Vickery, General Manager at the Brum branch, is delighted the store is for the charity. It is a fantastic gesture able to help the club off the pitch.He told the Birmingham Mail newspaper: “We have from our US owner, and let's hope it has been working closely with Aston Villa, supplying their official team suits for the last seven inspired him to get his cheque book out years, and are delighted to continue this important partnership through 2013. in the summer to bring in some new re“The suits will guarantee a stylish arrival at matches.” cruits!

Gab's big gift

Villa dress to impress

thevillatimes.com Issue 6 37

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38 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

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Price G av in

Former Villa player and Gordon Cowans team mate Gavin Price, gives his expert analysis on present Villa form exclusively for the Villa Times.

Expert Analysis with the former Villa player

“Benteke for me has been immense for most of the season.He has the lot. height,pace,strength and touch and plays very maturely for a young player” Best game?

Best game must be Stoke as it is normally a really hard place to get a result.Not even the so called big boys of the league relish going there.To see four villa players in the Stoke box for Benteke’s goal in the dying minutes of the game and not one single Stoke outfield player to be seen shows that we are really going for it.

Best performance of a player?

Benteke for me has been immense for most of the season.He has the lot. height,pace,strength and touch and plays very maturely for a young player.Could arguably play for any of the top 6 in the premier league sides.Fingers crossed that he is enjoying Paul Lamberts honest and attacking way of playing that he stays with us.

Best save?

Regarding our keeper,Brad Guzan,I think he has kept us in many games this season and has been one of our few consistent players.He has made too many excellent saves to pick on any one of them.Definitely no1 keeper at the club although it’s still great to have Shay Given as your no 2!!!

Best player of the month?

Player of the month.out of loyalty I am going for Gabby as he is Villa through and through and it’s nice to see him amongst the goals again.

Memorable moment?

Most memorable moment.No surprises there as Matthew Lawton has hit the goal of the season against Stoke.

Lets hope we can get the points we need asap and enjoy the last few games without having to worry about any other scores.As I live 7 miles from Cardiff City it would be great to be able to see them playing each other next season in the Premiership! thevillatimes.com Issue 6 39

Petrović

A Interview With

D ani

Team Captain - Aston Villa Ladies

Dani Petrovic is the club's captain and a superb leader.The 29year-old from Telford commands respect in the dressing room and out on the pitch with her all-action displays.

As skipper, she's also not afraid to let her thoughts be known either. Dani is a centre-back by trade - strong, aggressive and someone who reads the game well.

Quick Questions Favourite Villa Player?

Stan Petrov Favourite Music?

Anything with a beat!

Favourite Food?

Thai Favourite Movies?

Comedy's Favourite Holiday destination?

Anywhere hot that serves cocktails!

Favourite Pass time?

Socialising with friends and family.

Dani with team mates

What was it like to sign for Aston Villa ?

Great to sign for AVFC, always been a big name in womens football and a great club.

Was it a ambition of yours to play for Aston Villa?

Wasnt an ambition, but I'm very proud to be an AVFC player and captain.

Petrov in action

How has Aston Villa progress with in Ladies What is your most proudest moment of football since you have joined?

I've been here nearly 6years now and it's progressed being a Aston Villa player? massively...the backing from avfc is really good, we are in the second highest tier of womens football...soon to be first next year hopefully joining the womens super league. We are most definantly heading in the right direction.

Proudest moment at AVLFC got to be winning the league 2010-2011. We were down the by bottom the bottom of the league at Christmas, not playing great football...then we went on a 16 game unbeaten run - from Xmas to the last game of the season where we clinched the title - amazing!

Favourite Aston Villa player?

My all time favorite villa player was Juan Pablo angel, I just loved the way he played.

My current favourite villa player would have to be Benteke, at times he is unplayable

What is your memorable game you have played in?

Most memorable game ever would have to be when I played in the states in the national NAIA final, for villa got to be the game where we clinched the title in 2010-2011.

Do you and your team mate hang out together?

Yeah we have a good mixture of youth and experience and as a whole we all get on really well. Away journeys are never dull!

Dani in action

40 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

You have played in the USA, what was that experience like and what is the game like in the states?

Playing in the USA was amazing, probably the best 3 years of my footballing career. Technically the game over here is better...but they are ahead of us in so many ways, physical fitness, professionalism to name acouple. It was a dream, training every day...playing all over America.

RECENT FORM

THE MONTH IN STATS

4 MATCHES 20

SHOTS ON TARGET

8 YELLOW CARDS

3 VICTORY 9 GOALS 45 FOULS

80,631 people through the Villa Park turnstiles

4 BENTEKE GOALS 3 SCORERS

19 CORNERS

MATCH REPORTS | LINE UPS | QUOTES

thevillatimes.com Issue 6 41

Aston Villa 2 Match of the Month

Chelsea

0

Burke 49' (p), 90' (p)

Line up: Watkins, Webb, Kinsella, Calder, Donacien, Lewis, Barton, Carruthers, Robinson, Burke, Grealish Subs: Bateman, Grant,Toner,Crooks, Lyden, Abdo, Crowley

T

Line up: Beeney, Christiensen, Davey (75), Pappoe, Wright, Ake, Kiwomya, Loftus-Cheek (70), Feruz, Baker, Boga Subs: Musonda, Killip, Swift, Conroy, Dabo, Colkett (75), Hunte (70)

he NextGen Final took place this evening in the valleys of Lake Como an all English battle with Aston Villa taking on Chelsea. With both teams producing spectacular comebacks in the Semi-Finals, it had been a hard, but deserved journey to the final match of the season.

Chelsea made the one change - Nditi's strong challenge in the Semi-Finals put him on crutches, so Nathan Ake was called in as a replacement. Aston Villa also kept their team much the same. A straight swap of defender Jordon Lyden with Riccardo Calder was the only change required by manager Tony McAndrew.

The match started with purpose and intensity. Chelsea came out blazing and some early delicate passing produced the first shot at goal within the opening minute. Fast paced and fluid, the ball was being worked well on both sides of the pitch.

Chelsea's Boga and Feruz linked up brilliantly putting keeper Watkins in a tough position from early on; the powerful low shot was well saved. Chelsea eased into the game gaining confidence with each minute that passed, out-playing Villa with some simple but ef-

42 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Venue: Giuseppe Sinigaglia, 01 Apr 2013, 6pm fective one touch passing.

Baker and Kiwoyma caused problems throughout the first half with shots coming from both sides. Chelsea put their foot on the gas and created some wonderful football doing everything but putting the ball in the back of the net.

The pace of the Chelsea forwards was too much for the Aston Villa back four leading to more attacks. A Baker corner created another screamer from Kiwoyma, forcing the keeper to push the ball wide, fortunately into the path of an offside Chelsea forward.

It wasn't all Chelsea though. Villa Captain Carruthers managed to wangle his way round his opposite player and get a surprising shot from an awkward angle. The surprised keeper could do little but fumble the ball, which gave Chelsea a scare before he retrieved it moments later.

With most of the first half in Chelsea's possession, the Villa players were becoming slowly frustrated. This came to light when a late tackle by Carruthers on Nathan Ake produced the first yellow card of the match. Shots by Baker, Ake, and Kiwomya were all well developed, but the finishing

needed improvement if Chelsea were going to lift the trophy. The closest attempt coming in the 43rd minute from Ake; a fortunate nut-neg of the keeper saw the ball roll towards the goal only to be cleared off the line by defender Riccardo Calder.

The second half took an interesting turn as an early counter attack by Villa saw Robinson fouled in the box by Chelsea defender Davey in the opening minutes. Burke stepped up to take the penalty and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way as the ball was driven low and hard in to bottom left of the goal, putting Villa up 1-0 in the 47th minute.

Moments later Chelsea tried to level the score through Kiwomya. However, after losing the ball in the Aston Villa box he was then tackled by the 'air' a second later which only earned him the second yellow card of the match.

Callum Robinson had a great game down the left flank and caused issues for Abramovichs' boys, weaving through the defence well. Regrettably, his commitment rarely had support in the box and taking on all the defence proved too much for the young striker.

Slowly the build up from Villa arrived and

Cha

skilful play from Grealish and Carruthers forced a Villa corner. A cracking shot by Joshua Barton outside the box almost defeated the keeper, save for the crowdpleasing full stretch dive to the top left of the goal.

Chelsea were forced to make an early substitution taking off Davey for Colkett to deal with the unstoppable Robinson.

The second half had definitely shifted Villa's way. Their defensive unit was much stronger

and their passing became more precise. The game was more about midfield awareness and composure which frustrated Chelsea as the time rolled on in Villas favour.

It took a moment of class from Nathan Ake to spur Cheslea on in the 85th minute. Chelsea pushed too hard however as Kiwoyma went in for a harsh challenge on the half way line and was greeted by a second yellow putting Chelsea down to 10 men

at a time when they least needed it.

Villa played for the corners to run down time and an unlikely late penalty gave Burke the opportunity to deny Chelsea the honour of lifting the trophy for another year. He did so in style, firing the ball beyond the keepers reach on the right hand side.

The full whistle blew and Villa celebrated as deserved winners of the NextGen Championship for 2013.

Well Done you young Villains

mpions thevillatimes.com Issue 6 43

Re ading 1- 2 Asto n V illa Baker 32′ (og)

Aston Villa climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone thanks to a 2-1 victory against fellow strugglers Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Reading's opener on 32 minutes will be consigned to the blooper reel as Baker was left red-faced by his bumbling generosity. There appeared little danger, despite Hope Akpan helping McAnuff's low cross on, but defending close to his line Baker horribly rushed his clearance. It meant he completely missed the ball and watched on as it bounced off his standing leg and over the line.

Reading's lead lasted barely two minutes though as they showed why they have conceded more goals than any other club in the top flight this term.

The industrious Andreas Weimann was given acres of space down the right but instead of marking Benteke the home defenders rushed to the goal-line. The Belgian astutely sat back for the pass and lashed in a shot that took a deflection off Stephen Kelly to ensure Stuart Taylor was

Benteke 33′ Agbonlahor 45′

beaten.

It got worse for the Royals, however, as they conceded in first-half injury time for the second successive game at home.

Again the goal looked preventable as first Kelly failed to properly clear following a patient build-up by Villa. Lowton headed the ball across the six-yard box and while Barry Bannan's deft touch rebounded off the post Taylor could only help the loose ball to Agbonlahor to thump home.

Reading thought they were level 10 minutes after the re-start only for a marginal offside call to go against them. Noel Hunt poked home at close range but if he was not offside Le Fondre, who was just in front of him, appeared to have just strayed.

Victory was just Villa's second in their past 12 league games and moved them three points clear of danger. Reading's defeat - their second in succession at home against a relegation rival after they lost 3-0 to Wigan a fortnight ago - left them above last-placed QPR on goals scored only.

The Madejski Stadium 09 Mar 2013 KO 15:00 Barclays Premier League Attendance: 24,102 Reading

Aston Villa

Taylor Pearce Mariappa Harte Kelly Leigertwood McAnuff Robson-Kanu Akpan Le Fondre Hunt Booked

Guzan Vlaar Clark Baker Lowton Westwood Sylla Bannan Agbonlahor Benteke Weimann

Substitutes

Substitutes

Henly Shorey Morrison Karacan Guthrie McCleary Blackman

Given Bennett N'Zogbia Dawkins Carruthers Holman Bowery

Asto n V illa 3 - 2 Q PR

Gabriel Agbonlahor 45+3 Andreas Weimann 59, Christian Benteke 81

Villa Park 16 March 2013 KO 15:00 Barclays Premier League Attendance: 38,594 Aston Villa

Queens Park Rangers

Guzan Vlaar Clark Baker Lowton Westwood Sylla Bannan Agbonlahor Benteke Weimann

Julio Cesar Samba Hill Bosingwa Fabio Park Ji-sung Jenas Townsend M'bia Booked Remy Zamora

Substitutes

Substitutes

Given Bennett N'Zogbia Dawkins Carruthers Holman Bowery

Murphy Onuoha Taarabt Wright-Phillips Granero Hoilett Mackie

44 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Jermaine Jenas 23 Andros Townsend 73

Christian Benteke's late goal earned Aston Villa a priceless 3-2 win over fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers after a thrilling encounter at Villa Park After a nervous start from both sides QPR went close to breaking the deadlock after ten minutes only to be denied by a stunning save from Brad Guzan. Chris Samba got on the end of a free-kick and his header looked destined for the far corner, only for Guzan to produce a flying save to claw the ball out from under his own crossbar.

Seconds later Samba was again denied by Guzan as the ball dropped to the big defender inside the box and he fired in a shot which the American keeper again did well to tip over the crossbar.

QPR hit the front on 23 minutes with Jenas coming back to haunt his old club with his second goal in a week. Joe Bennett gave the ball away to Jenas and he played in Bobby Zamora down the left and, after his shot was kept out by the feet

of Guzan, Jenas was on hand to slide home the rebound.

Villa capitalised on the escape and equalised deep into stoppage-time at the end of the first half with Agbonlahor heading home Matt Lowton's cross from inside the six-yard box with their only noteworthy effort of the opening 45 minutes.

Villa looked a different team after the break and they turned the game on its head just before the hour mark when Weimann drilled home from the edge of the box after QPR failed to clear their lines from a corner.

QPR hit back and drew level on 73 minutes when Townsend saw his deflected shot from the edge of the box find the bottom corner after he was teed up by Park Ji-sung.

Villa grabbed the winner nine minutes from time when the impressive Weimann got to the byline before Julio Cesar and cut the ball back to Benteke to smash the ball home into the unguarded net.

Asto n V illa 2- 1 L iv e rp o o l Christian Benteke 31

Villa Park 31 March 2013 KO 13:30 Barclays Premier League Attendance: 42,037 Aston Villa

Liverpool

Guzan Vlaar Bennett Baker Lowton Westwood Sylla Bannan Agbonlahor Benteke Weimann

Reina Johnson Jose Enrique Agger Carragher Gerrard Booked Phillippe Coutinho Henderson Downing Lucas Suarez

Substitutes

Substitutes

Given Lichaj El Ahmadi N'Zogbia Delph Dawkins Bowery

Jones Coates Skrtel Sterling Shelvey Sturridge Suso

Jordan Henderson 47 Steven Gerrard 60 (pen)

Villa posed plenty of problems for Liverpool in the first half and Gabriel Agbonlahor should have put the hosts ahead after 17 minutes but fired his close-range shot straight at Pepe Reina.

Benteke had scored twice in the 3-1 win at Anfield earlier in the season and after 31 minutes he put Villa ahead.

Ashley Westwood's long ball was turned back by Agbonlahor to Benteke who drilled a fierce shot past Reina who got a hand on the ball but could not keep it out of the net. It was the 18th goal of the season from the Belgian international.

Liverpool failed to level before the break but did so soon after when Philippe Coutinho's defence-splitting pass was seized on by Henderson who flicked the ball over Guzan into the corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

With Liverpool on the front foot and pressure building it came as no surprise when the lively Suarez was needlessly brought down in the box by Nathan Baker and the

resulting spot-kick was converted by Gerrard.

Andreas Weimann could have made it 2-2 but scooped his shot over the bar from 10 yards and Gerrard then reacted well at the other end to head Benteke's header off the line at full stretch from a corner.

But Liverpool had succeeded in taking much of the sting out of Villa's attacking threat and quietening the Holte End, who had their late celebrations cut short after Benteke's injury time effort was ruled out for offside.

Lambert did not think there was much between the sides but was left to lament two "poor goals".

He said: "I thought first half we were excellent - I really did. There was Gabby's (Agbonlahor's) chance which if he mis-kicks it, it probably goes in but the keeper (Pepe Reina) did well and stood up to it.

"There wasn't much in it in the second half but we never had the fluency which we did have in the first half, but you can't give away goals like we did. It was a definite penalty, I've just seen it."

S to kMichael e Cit y 1- 3 Gabriel Asto n V illa Kightly 80 Agbonlahor 9, Matthew Lowton 87, Christian Benteke 90+1

Two goals in the final three minutes handed Aston Villa's survival bid a welcome boost as they overcame Stoke City 3-1 at the Britannia Stadium to clamber out of the drop zone.

Villa bossed the early exchanges, but it could have been different had the hosts been awarded the penalty they wanted after barely two minutes when Jonathan Walters smashed the ball into Nathan Baker's arm from close range.

Referee Mark Clattenburg deemed the contact unintentional, much to Potters boss Tony Pulis' obvious disgust on the sidelines. Whether awarding a spot-kick or not might have been harsh on Baker, it was still a let-off for the defender, whose shaky start continued as Kenwyne Jones muscled past only to blaze over.

Stoke looked up for the fight at that point but their optimism was pierced after just nine minutes as Lowton and Jordan Bowery combined from a throw-in to cut through the home defence. Lowton

reached the byline all too easily and pulled back for Agbonlahor in front of goal and the striker rolled in at the second attempt after his initial effort was blocked.

The goal came against the run of play but it completely changed the game's momentum and Stoke had an escape when Robert Huth backed off and Bowery fired into the side-netting. Stoke were, however, soon to enjoy their best spell of the game and, with confidence growing, Walters raced away down the left. He fed inside to Charlie Adam, who had been on the field just a matter of minutes, and he in turn teed up half-time substitute Kightly to stab home.

But it was not to last as Lowton dramatically swung the game back in Villa's favour with a superb volley three minutes from time. The defender chested down an attempted clearance from a corner outside the box and fired back into the top corner.

Home hopes were deflated and, as the game ran towards injury time, Benteke raced through and calmly stroked the ball past Begovic for the third.

Britannia Stadium 6 April 2013 KO 15:00 Barclays Premier League Attendance: 27,544 Stoke City

Aston Villa

Begovic Cameron Huth Wilson Shawcross Shotton Nzonzi Whitehead Etherington Jones Walters

Guzan Vlaar Bennett Baker Lowton Westwood Delph Agbonlahor Booked Benteke Bowery Weimann

Substitutes

Substitutes

Sorensen Wilkinson Adam Kightly Owen Crouch Jerome

Given Lichaj El Ahmadi N'Zogbia Holman Sylla Bent

thevillatimes.com Issue 6 45

Lions Clubs

International Lions

A brand new Lions branch A brand new Lions Club branch is just opening for all Villa fans living in the Shrewsbury area, headed by Toby Holcroft.

Shrewsbury Lions will be Branch number 168 in the worldwide network of Aston Villa Officially recognised supporters Clubs across the globe.

Although the Branch is in the infancy stage at the moment, Toby is currently putting together a plan for regular meetings and getting to Villla Park together as a supporters group.

Being part of a Lions Club Branch has many benefits and Toby will be working hard to bring these to his new members. For More details please contact avscshrewsbury@gmail.com Welcome to the Villa family...

Ta lks p or t s M o os e D r op s I n T o Lion s C lub

46 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

Ian Abrahams "The Moose" popped into the Chairmans meeting last pre Q.P.R. to meet the lads and talk about all things Claret n Blue....

West Ham was soon shoved firmly off the agenda when we all had goodhearted banter in the boardroom. He made a presentation to Bromsgrove Lions for Supporters Club of the month for February, with Phil Gardner taking possession of a pair of new Macron trainers. Moose was also treated to a Devon Pasty freshly delivered all the way from the South West which he thoroughly enjoyed at Talk Sport Towers the next day! A good laugh was had by all, and the Moose claims to have seen Villa win the last six visits to Villa Park - Long may it continue!

Weekend 2013

The Northern Ireland lions Aston Villa supporters club are delighted to be hosting this prestigious The Northern Ireland lions Aston villa supporters club are delighted to be hosting this prestigious event that sees villa fans worldwide descend on a venue for the weekend to reward villa fans from the excitement and stresses of another pressure filled season. We are expecting 300-500 villa fans from across Europe for an action packed weekend that kicks off on the Friday with a mini 5 a side tournament and sight seeing tour of the world famous Carrick castle from medieval times followed by an evening with Shaun Teale.

The Saturday is the main day starting with the unique charity football match that kicks off at 1pm that is in aid of leukemia on behalf of our captain Stan Petrov. The game will be held at local stadium Taylor's avenue where fans play alongside ex players where an Irish lions team take on a rest of the world team. The two squads consist of 19 players with every player having 19 Petrov on their back. The Irish lions have this seasons home kit and the rest of the world team will have this seasons glow in the dark away kit which will all be keep sakes for the lucky person playing. You can apply to play in match by contacting NI lions chairman paul McCusker. Shaun Teale is managing a team and we already have league and European cup winners Tony Morley and Ken McNaught playing with two ex premier league villa players very close to being confirmed.

The real fun begins after the game when we descend to the Ni lions meeting place the brown cow inn. We have a large beer garden and marquee as well as a pool table bar and restaurant exclusively for the event.

The award ceremony will be followed by a barbecue then the villa players and guests participating in a q and a with live entertainment and villa karaoke with drinks promotions to keep the costs of the weekend down and a late license Aston villas tv station avtv will be in attendance along

with the Ni lions club patron and villas award winning head groundsman jonny calderwood.

We have got a discounted deal for carrickfergus fanciest hotel the clarion which is renowned for its cooked breakfasts where the former villa players and majority of guests will be staying. The best part of the deal is you book now as it is filling at a fast rate and pay on arrival. All details are on our website www.northernirelandlions.co.uk which has details of the towns other hotels as well.

Shaun Teale is managing a team and we already have league and European cup winners Tony Morley and Ken McNaught playing The Sunday will be a more relaxed atmosphere we will have a lunchtime Barbecue back at the brown cow and you will have a chance to have a drink and a chat with the former players who will be attending until around 5 pm when the majority of people will be leaving for the airports. We have been very lucky with the price of flights as the usual plane over on the Friday morning returning on a Sunday night was rising to 130 return when the flights where nearly sold out but easyjet and flybe put extra flights on and at time of printing this you can get a return flight for 65.

The purpose of the weekend is for villa fans to socialise have a bit of fun and raise money for a great cause when doing it and showing the world the class of villa fans especially when we are going through a rough time

R.I.P. Peter Stanisstreet Peter Stanisstreet a member of the North West Lions sadly passed away recently and everyone at Aston Villa would like to send their condolences to Peters family and friends at this time.

Pete Stanisstreet supported and remained faithful to Aston Villa for 55 years and has left his mark on “Paver 29” at Villa Park.

Pete was born on December 15th 1947 in Dudley, West Midlands. When he was ten years old his grandfather took him and his cousin Tom to their first football match when Aston Villa played against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Tom and his grandfather were Wolves supporters but Pete had an Aston Villa scarf. He subsequently acquired 10 different Villa scarves, 30+ Villa tops, Villa pillow cases, Villa labrador dog tag – I could go on and on, such is the devotion to the claret and blues.

February 2004 he was presented with an Aston Villa team shirt signed by all the team members at that time, as a gift from his men when as a traffic police inspector he retired from the Greater Manchester Police force.

His passion for the Villa has seen certainly seen some highlights such as their appearance at Wembley in 2010, when he was so proud of his team. They lost their match but the fact they had made it to Wembley was “magic” as he put it at the time.

He was a member of the North West Supporters’ Club and thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of like minded fans. When the team won a match he would always go to the local shops the next day and buy as many tabloid papers as possible in order to read about and bask in the glory attributed to his team.

Sadly, Pete battled with cancer for the past 14 months and was not able to use his season ticket very often On February 27th 2013 he died, but I can still hear him shouting, “Villa forever”.

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Villa World

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Us Villa fans are everywhere this month, Brum, Jamaica, Australia, USA, Ireland and yes Villa Park

Ciar an Row e Villa fan from birm . ingh am but now lives in mine head

ith d Mark w Aaron an ibson G lie ta a N Villa Ladies,

S u tt o n C o ld fi el d V il la Li o n s in V ar te ks .

Se pt em be r 20 01

Mitko Bonev, from the Bulgaria Lions on tour

Matty Nellins, with Villa Legend Gary Shaw

Courtney Micklewrigh t, with Villa Legend Petrov

ds in h with frien Rob Goug SA Portland, U

Come On You

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illa..........

David Wagsta ff, Birmingham, Holding his colo urs

We at the Villa Times would like to thank you all for sending in your picture, UTV

Send Us Your Picture for Next Month and be in with a chance of winning the new home shirt thevillatimes.com Issue 6 49

Mark Goodwin

My Villa

Mark has been a Season Ticket Holder since 1979 and currently sit in the Trinity Road Upper along with his Dad and Brother.

Mark has also been running the Sutton Coldfield Lions since 1992 organising trips all around the country and Europe as well.

Mark has followed Villa as far as Hong Kong, the USA, and all over Europe to watch his beloved Aston Villa and has been married for 25 years to what must surely be the ultimate Football Widow!!

What was your first memory of watching Villa/ Do you remember the first game you saw/ Who did we play and what was the score/ Is this game that started your love for Villa ?

My first Villa game was a home game against Swansea City in the old Third Division back in April 1971 at the age of 7. I remember sitting in the Old Witton Lane Stand on the front row and I will never forget looking up at the Holte End in awe of how big it was and how far back it went. Villa won 3-0 and the game was also featured on Star Soccer the following day.

To be honest I never really went down the Villa in my younger years until the 1974/75 Season when I was lucky enough to be one of 100 fans who were given a FREE Season Ticket in celebration of Villa’s Centenary.

We played against Leeds United in that game and as I walked through the turnstiles in the Holte End I was given a voucher which explained that I had won a Season Ticket for the coming season.

That was when my love affair with the Club really began and to top it off we got promoted and won the League Cup that season.

I remember the last home game of the season against Sunderland when we queued for ages to get in and when we got near to the front they closed the gates and would only let Season Ticket Holders in, but my Dad wouldn’t let me go in on my own so we gave my voucher away to another bloke, and we went and stood on the bank by Aston Hall and watched from up there.

You could see about 25% of the pitch, although you couldn’t see either goal!!

Favourite Games Over the years I have been privileged to see some fantastic games involving The Villa.

The game at Highbury when we won the league (which was more for the occasion than the actual game as we didn’t play particularly 50 Issue 6 thevillatimes.com

well that day), both Semi Final games against Anderlecht and of course the Final against Bayern Munich in the European Cup. The Super Cup matches against Barcelona, the home game being especially exciting and no one will ever forget the Coca-Cola Semi Final against Tranmere Rovers in 1994. A win over Birmingham is always one to savour as well !!

But my most memorable game has to be the 4-4 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day 2007.

That game had everything. We were 2-0 up thanks to goals from Shaun Maloney going into half time, then Zat Knight got sent off and Shevchenko pulled a goal back from the spot.

He then equalised early in the 2nd half and when Alex put them 3-2 I thought that was it !

Then against the run of play with 10 men Martin Laursen equalised and 10 mins later Carvalho was sent off to level the teams up.

Just as the game seemed to be heading for a draw Ballack fired home from the edge of the box to make it 4-3 to Chelsea and it looked like game over.

Then in injury time Villa forced a corner and in a scramble in the box Ashley Cole handled on the line and got sent off giving Villa the chance to equalise.

Incredibly, Gareth Barry fired home the penalty to send the Villa fans into raptures and rescue a dramatic point with virtually the last touch!!

Favourite XI Over the years there have been some great players in the Claret and Blue shirt and I am forever changing my Favourite XI but currently this is how it stands.

Bosnich; Gidman,Staunton,Mellberg,McGrath,Mortimer,Barry,Platt, Gray(A),Cowans,Walters. Subs: Rimmer,Milner,Laursen,Swain,Little.

Current Villa Park Set-Up I am a fan of Paul Lambert and feel given time and some proper investment he really could turn our for-

Mark in Moscow Feb 2009 and below in Iceland at FH Hafnarfjordur in August 2008

tunes around. I’m not sure we need to spend the Millions that Martin O’Neil spent to make us into a Premiership force again, and I’m not sure we’ll ever get to the promised land of the Champions League, but there is no reason why a Club of Aston Villa stature and presence in the game should not be regularly pushing for a Europa League place (as long as we take it seriously) and enjoying the odd Cup success.

I’m not a particular fan of the Board, but until somebody else comes forward with the right investment I think we’re better off sticking with

twhat we’ve got. Better the Devil you know and all that!! I do believe we need Managerial stability and if we ever change Manager again I hope the Board appoint a man who plays a similar style to Paul Lambert. The last 4 Managers have had totally different styles of play and have not had the personnel to impose their style on the team. I only have to look up the road at WBA who, even though they’ve changed Managers a few times over the past 4 Seasons, haven’t changed the way they play, and hence no big upheavals on the playing staff and no stupid transfer fees.

5.

Current Favourite Player