Villa Memories...the 1996 relegation game

[Didsbury Dave]

We've had a few memorable Villa games over the years, in particular some great victories. But one which stands out for me for the wrong reasons was the game at Villa Park in 1996. It was the penultimate game of the season and we were staring relegation right in the face.

I ended up in a corporate box for this one. Tickets were like gold dust. I actually had one but sold it to a blue at face value outside - he kissed me. My friend was taking some customers to the game, Villa fans, so we were supposed to be on our best behaviour. Sadly I let the passion of the game, and the free alcohol, get hold of me. Me and my mate were absolutely roaring them on from behind the glass all game. These customers were nonplussed and a little embarrassed.

Michael Brown scored with a couple of minutes to go and we went ballistic, hugging each other and bouncing around in the middle of this box. It looked like we'd dragged ourselves out of the relegation zone with one game to play. We were singing Bluemoon in chorus with loads of other blues in the boxes. The game ended and the tv showed the other scores. Every single other team in relegation trouble had won and we remained in the bottom three. We went from euphoric to despair in a few seconds.

Was anyone else at this game? It was like the flipside to the Gillingham game - one minute on top of the world, the next minute devastated. We got relegated the following week, at home to Liverpool of course.

 

[Kinky Dribbler]

Remember it, despite being very young at the time. Villa also needed to win to get into Europe, they threw Bosnich forward at the end, great drama.

Our goal was scored by Lomas, not Brown, via a deflection of Paul McGrath.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Remember it, despite being very young at the time. Villa also needed to win to get into Europe, they threw Bosnich forward at the end, great drama.

Our goal was scored by Lomas, not Brown, via a deflection of Paul McGrath.

It was, I can still see it now hitting the net.

They paraded the League Cup around after the game.

 

[BlueForever123]

I remember that so well.....the next day was my 21st and I went to see Oasis at Maine Rd.

 

[yellamcfc]

Memories of the Liverpool match were very bad, I remember Ian Rush scoring and not celebrating, we were after him at the time for the following season.
Steve Lomas taking the ball into the corner time wasting because someone had given him the wrong messages of other results, pretty sure it was 2-2 at the time.
What was worse, the rags had won the league that year too, we were stood at the bus stop on Dickie road, when a car full of rags was approaching the lights (which changed to red) beeping its horn waving flags....needless to say about half a dozen blues ran over smacking the knob heads, through the windows of the car.
Comical but sad.

EDIT: This was the same season, wasn't it..... my mind doesn't work as well as it used to.

 

[Soulboy]

I was at that Villa game (of course!).. and I remember driving back to Maine Road to drop a couple of mates off as they were going to the Oasis concert.

I was convinced that result would save us. The naivety even then...

But I've got loads of great memories at Villa Park... my favourite of all time... Paul Power v. Ipswich... the 5-1 win when Whitey scored 4... the 2-1 when Peter Reid scored a late winner... and we avoided relegation... loads.

I used to knock about with loads of Villa fans in my college days, so I've always had a bit of a soft spot for them. Had some great times around Brum in the early 80's...

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Memories of the Liverpool match were very bad, I remember Ian Rush scoring and not celebrating, we were after him at the time for the following season.
Steve Lomas taking the ball into the corner time wasting because someone had given him the wrong messages of other results, pretty sure it was 2-2 at the time.
What was worse, the rags had won the league that year too, we were stood at the bus stop on Dickie road, when a car full of rags was approaching the lights (which changed to red) beeping its horn waving flags....needless to say about half a dozen blues ran over smacking the knob heads, through the windows of the car.
Comical but sad.

EDIT: This was the same season, wasn't it..... my mind doesn't work as well as it used to.

I witnessed the very same incident on Wilmslow Road.

 

[Pezzer2]

Memories of the Liverpool match were very bad, I remember Ian Rush scoring and not celebrating, we were after him at the time for the following season.
Steve Lomas taking the ball into the corner time wasting because someone had given him the wrong messages of other results, pretty sure it was 2-2 at the time.
What was worse, the rags had won the league that year too, we were stood at the bus stop on Dickie road, when a car full of rags was approaching the lights (which changed to red) beeping its horn waving flags....needless to say about half a dozen blues ran over smacking the knob heads, through the windows of the car.
Comical but sad.

EDIT: This was the same season, wasn't it..... my mind doesn't work as well as it used to.

I witnessed the very same incident on Wilmslow Road.

I seen this as well, outside the Welcome pub. Some clown was flying a French flag out of his window. City fans burnt the flag if I remember rightly. Minutes after a Liverpool coach drove past us with scousers giving us the V's. City fans poured out of the Welcome and managed to get on the coach via fire exit a the back and layed into the scousers. Outside Sherwood there was crates of empty bottle's placed across the road and city fans pelted the police with anything they could get there hands on. Awful day!!

 

[lancs blue]

I remember the Villa match very well, I stuck £2 on Lomas @ 28/1 to score first and was sweating for a bit whether they'd class it as an o.g.

It was almost a re-run of Brighton away in 1983, we won the penultimate match and thought we were safe and then as the other results came in we realised it was still in the balance.

 

[davymcfc]

Memories of the Liverpool match were very bad, I remember Ian Rush scoring and not celebrating, we were after him at the time for the following season.
Steve Lomas taking the ball into the corner time wasting because someone had given him the wrong messages of other results, pretty sure it was 2-2 at the time.
What was worse, the rags had won the league that year too, we were stood at the bus stop on Dickie road, when a car full of rags was approaching the lights (which changed to red) beeping its horn waving flags....needless to say about half a dozen blues ran over smacking the knob heads, through the windows of the car.
Comical but sad.

EDIT: This was the same season, wasn't it..... my mind doesn't work as well as it used to.

my dad always tells me the story of those rags. said a load of city fans dragged them out of the car at the traffic lights.