I DIDN'T CHOOSE ASTON VILLA....IT CHOSE ME... Featuring Gary Lennon My Name is Gary, and I am a Villa fan🦁 I've lived in Stourbridge, but lately in Kidderminster🏴. Local/UK fan. @AVFCOfficial #VillaChoseMe #UTV #avfc🦁 STORY8⃣1⃣ Here is my Villa story.... More than 50 years in, and football at Villa has never been better. My Villa journey began when I was chosen by my next-door neighbour, Mick Knight, who saw me in a Wolves strip playing football out front when I was around five. I was wearing this as I liked the colours in a sports shop in Blackheath. Mick told my mom, “Buy him a Villa scarf, and I'll take him to Villa Park.” True to his word, he drove us near the Witton End on a Wednesday night in January 1972, and we walked up the bank and over the top. I was mesmerised by the AV floodlights, which sparkled in the pouring rain. We beat Shrewsbury 3-0 in the season we won the 3rd Division. I found my first hero, Ray Graydon, and had my mom sew a number 7 made from a pillowcase onto my Villa strip, which had replaced the other one. Some of my greatest games at Villa Park were in the 1970s, beating Liverpool 5-1 and Albion 4-0, with Villa fans booing Andy Gray being subbed as he could have beaten Malcolm MacDonald for the most goals in the season. I had season tickets in the Trinity, then the Holte, and was going away games from 1980 to exotic places like Portman Road, Roker Park, and St Andrews. I made it onto the pitch at Highbury in 1981, dancing around and watching the Clock End bouncing as we won the league. My first trip abroad, without my parents, was to Rotterdam, on the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry, then train to Amsterdam and seeing the Red Light district at 17 was mind-boggling! We got tickets on the day from a Feyenoord official and happened to be in the Bayern Munich end, wearing a Union Jack t-shirt! The Villa fans were much louder, so we walked around the ground through multiple gates to get to the other end. There are so many stories about that trip to recall. For most of my adult life, I've lived in Stourbridge and, lately, Kidderminster. Most of my mates are Villa fans. We've seen great games, been to great places, and endured the same dross as everyone else. Swindon away to get promoted, BFR’s first game back at Sheffield Wednesday springs to mind. However, my favourite games at Villa Park must be beating Albion 4-3 and Blues 5-1 on derby days as the atmospheres were electric! The pubs we used pre-match were in the 80s, The Costermonger, The Cabin, and The Windsor, though lately we have used The Old Royal or Old Contemptibles. The ones close to the ground tend to be packed and slow serving time for beer! My Villa story now extends to my daughters, Katie and Jess, who have their own stories. To my dismay, Jess was a mascot and walked out with Stephen Ireland when it could have been Carew!. Katie met her husband Brett on a Kidderminster Lions coach to away games, and a decade later, their 7-year-old son Leo is an avid Villan, too. We’ve been to Wembley, Crystal Palace in corporate last season, and lots before and in between, and they will see some of the best times coming up. Watching players come through the academy, like Jack and Jacob, Sid and Gary Shaw, with claret and blue blood in their veins, is a delight. Yet when others come in, love the fans, and play for the badge like McGrath, Morley, Mortimer, Townsend, Atkinson, Taylor, Hutton and many more, it feels an honour to be a fan. My favourite player ever? John Carew, cos he’s bigger than me or you……and now, Emi Martinez, who could become our best-ever signing! Seeing Villa in the Champions League is a stepping stone for the next phase of the journey. It is amazing to go to Mostar, Lille, Bern, and soon Monaco, to smaller grounds with passionate home fans. Yet once again, we shall be in Barcelona, Madrid, and Roma at the top grounds in the biggest of games. Thank you, Unai. Thats my Villa Story!💜💙 Kind regards Gary Up The Villa NAME's Twitter handle: @GaryJohnLennon🦁 Didn't choose.. picture created by - [@avfc_edits]
