Tammy Abraham’s goal gives Aston Villa’s Dean Smith the perfect start

20 October 2018 04:12
It was not without a jittery finish but for Dean Smith, a boyhood Aston Villa fan, this was an occasion worth waiting for. In the end, a first-half header by Tammy Abraham, relegated with visitors Swansea City last season, proved the difference as Villa registered their first win in five matches to restore the promotion push their supporters not only crave but demand. Not so long ago, Smith was one of them. His father, Ron, would show the late Sir Doug Ellis to his seat during 25 years working as a steward here, while he and his brother, Dave, would wipe the seats on the terraces in exchange for a pie and passage to the Holte End.Smith may have grown up Great Barr, four miles from this rocking stadium, but he knew would not be afforded any kind of honeymoon period. Villa Park, packed to the rafters as supporters ushered in a new era and said farewell to Ellis, the club’s former chairman who died last week. In front of a sell-out crowd of almost 42,000, it was always going to be an emotionally-charged atmosphere inside Villa Park. Before the almighty roar that met Smith as he walked out of the tunnel for the first time, there was a fitting minute’s applause for Ellis, the club’s former chairman who passed away aged 94 earlier this month. Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian