Villa on Tour – Next Stop Wembley
Imagine… one last bonus away day of the season, that you lose, yet still get a chance to enter a penalty shoot-out to win a trip to Wembley. Sometimes football can throw up mixed emotions, but thank god the EFL binned the away goals rule, or Youtube channel Villa on Tour‘s trusty wing man Owen Thompson’s post-match tears would have been a very different kind.
Now that the tears have been wiped away, OT reviews the climax to what was two tough games for Villa against the Baggies in the play-off semi-final, where Villa showed immense resolve to triumph 4-3 on penalties, after drawing 2-2 on aggregate.
Owen also stars along with Max Stokes and the boys in Villa on Tour’s video below, that tells the tale of the glorious night in Smethwick. It documents a winning experience that added to Villa on Tour’s successful away day the previous week at the Eithad Stadium in Manchester, where they scooped the Best New Content Creator award at the Football Blogging Awards.
Make sure you subscribe to the Villa on Tour channel, whether through the video or link below.
Mr Stokes was also a guest on the recent episode 73 of the My Old Man Said podcast recorded in-between the two clashes with the Albion (see below).
Villa Away Day at West Brom
West Brom Play-off Away day Review by Villa on Tour
Date: 14th May 2019
Score: West Brom 1 Aston Villa 0 (2-2 agg Villa win 4-3 on pens)
Ground: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 25,702
Away atmosphere – 8/10
A huge game for both teams with a spot at Wembley up for grabs. Villa were as good as ever but there was always a sense of tension amongst the away fans, so maybe not as loud as we could have been had we been winning. The noise soon picked up when Abraham slotted it home.
However, before the penalty winner, the tension within the away end was pretty extreme. You could feel it all around.
Away end facilities – 6/10
Not a fan of the Hawthorns. Besides the fact you have to walk up a mountain to get to the away end, the concourse was not very impressive at all. The first thing to notice was the laminate wooden flooring, which seemed rather odd. The other thing to note was there was not much space at all and the toilets were insanely cramped.
We won’t say too much about WBA ruling against offering Villa’s travelling fans a drink to calm our nerves.
(If you went to the Hawthorns fill in the FSF survey about your own experience)
Home fans atmosphere – 9/10
A huge game for both teams with a spot at Wembley up for grabs, Albion fans did not disappoint in their efforts to get their team over the line. Although many of the songs were Villa related, they sang for long periods. Not too sure about Mr Tannoy man though constantly trying to lead the singing.
Empty seats my Lord?
Not one in sight. Not a big ground but rumoured it took a while to sell out, however they did in the end. Villa sold out their allocation within 24 hours. A good effort by all it would seem, but no surprise considering what was at stake.
Best thing about the ground?
The way out.
Classic moment
The whole shootout will live long in the memory of all Villa fans. Jed Steer pulling off two exceptional save and it was just a matter of wrapping it up. Villa typically made that difficult with Adomah ballooning his penalty into the back of Wolverhampton, however it made Tammy’s cool effort that little bit sweeter.
Anything funny happen?
Seeing Albion fans head in hands, clear off home. A remarkable sight.
Any other business?
Not a lot else apart from the game itself seeming to go on forever. It was quite possibly the very best evening out, considering we were not at our very best. Some of the boys we go with managed to fling themselves down rows of seats to catch Tyrone Mings shirt, so a moment for them to savour as well as the bruised shins that come with it.
Another thing that many will have noticed in the above video is the tears coming from the three of us. A remarkable occasion indeed.
On to Wembley…
UTV
Follow Owen on Twitter here – @otvillayouth
Follow Max on Twitter here – @villaontour_
Subscribe to the Villa on Tour – VOT Youtube Channel
Follow MOMS on Twitter here – @oldmansaid
Max of VoT Appears in Episode 73 of the MOMS Podcast
