After a season of toil and graft, it all comes down to one match. Success or failure, the entire season is marked on the result of one game: the Championship play-off final. For the fans, it’s so much more than a day out at Wembley. For Aston Villa, it was all about returning to where they belong.
The Play-offs are the place where dreams are made and nightmares realised. In a strange twist of fate that only this stage of the competition can provide, the Championship play-off final saw fifth-placed Aston Villa taking on sixth-placed Derby County for a coveted place in the Premier League. For one day only, Wembley and the surrounding area was taken over by midlanders, with Villains and Rams set to watch their sides do battle in a one-off, winner-takes-all encounter. Passion and pride on full display.
The streets around Wembley were awash with seas of Claret and Blue as the Villa fans soaked up the atmosphere before marching towards their date with destiny. They say that you first have to taste the bitter if you are to truly appreciate the sweet. Well, having tasted the bitterness of defeat at this stage last year against Fulham, Aston Villa were only too ready to enjoy the sweet taste of success this time around as they held out for a 2-1 win. For the club, the victory means a £170 million windfall. But for the fans, it’s memories that will last a lifetime. Hangover? Well worth it. See you in the Prem, boys and girls.
Photography by Michael Double for SoccerBible.
