I have been so busy recently, well from a university perspective so me and my friend Kelly decided to book some tickets for the football on a whim to The Villa for an afternoon at the football. Our premier league football match happened to be played between Aston Villa and Manchester United. I'm not one for a sporting event but one has to break from the mundane routines of life and just do something different! Kick off!
Before kick-off I got the chance to see the original facade of Aston Villa Football Club's Villa Park entrance, dating back from 1894 I was loving what I saw. I'm not one for sports, well I have never been really but I guess its a captivating event that grabs people's attention so I'm willing to give that notion a try. During my year in New Jersey and New York I made it my mission to view as many sporting events as possible, so I knew that one football match would put me in good stead. The weather wasn't so nice but me and my friend Kelly didn't pay any attention to the gray skies for the kick-off was waiting for us! I'm known for supporting Birmingham as a city and as a tourist destination so I thought I would extend this passion to the football match in hand. Sport is still an ingenious way to attract people to a city, so why not tourists?
Back to Aston Villa, I was looking forward to the beautiful game to begin as we had acquired our tickets for a rock bottom price compared to our fellow students from University College Birmingham, for the outing had been organised through the International Guild. I had passed Aston Villa's football ground on many occasions whilst on the train to and from Lichfield so I was quite excited to be formally acquainted, good things come to those who wait! I was very impressed with the red brick entrance to the home fans section as we would be in the Aston Villa home supporters section, when in Birmingham I fiercely support my student city no matter what capacity it may be. Aston was in my sights so I'm pleased I made it to the Villa, next time to Aston Hall though! I had over indulged in some mulled wine and cider the night before so my state of mind appeared to be quite fragile, let's just say that watching a football game was quite a good hangover cure. I bought my chips and presented my ticket at the turnstiles to begin the next stage of my Aston Villa Football Club experience.
As the first passes of the ball was made the pace and energy of the game gained momentum as each second past. I was the envy of my brother and my granddad for they would have done pretty much anything to get tickets to a Barclay's Premiership match like this one. Manchester United picked up an early lead by scoring their first goal during the 15th minute by Welbeck, securing a second goal in the 18th minute to a rapturous applause from the United fans but a defiant crescendo of dismay was displayed by us the Aston Villa fans. We kept things positive, jumping up and down at a seconds notice as each time the ball drew nearer to the home-side's goal area. I was getting well into the spirit of things, shouting and cheering on the Villa, I felt myself get emotional about the game because Villa needed to score!
Yellow card after yellow card were being dished out by the referee, tensions were rising but it was all in the spirit of the game. Wayne Rooney played a fair game with a few questionable moves and remarks, some of which sparked some controversy from the home fans. Christian Benteke made the crowd cheer, but I could sense that the loyal supporters cared much more about the capability of the player rather than the status of the player, not mentioning various members of the Manchester United squad. It wasn't looking to good for Aston Villa but our commitment and applause didn't wane for we knew that good things would come Aston Villa's way. It became evident that Manchester United would take the lead, for in the 52nd minute United's Cleverley scored the third and final goal that decided the fate of the match. I would say that throughout all of the match the tempers never frayed in the Villa home side for we had this covered anyway, whereas a sea of police officers descended upon the front of the away fans section of the football ground, but no trouble took place so that boded well.
Moving slightly away from the match I couldn't help to notice that Turkish Airlines happens to be Aston Villa's official airline partner. Captured to the right is an image that caught during the half-time competition where one of the three prizes appeared to be a free return flight from Birmingham Airport to any airport within their route network. I had the opportunity to fly with Turkish Airlines on two ocassions to Dalaman via Istanbul Ataturk and more recently this July. Looking back at my TK experience I would definitely fly with Turkish Airlines again for they are a formidable airline. Keeping in line with Aston Villa I see the partnership to act as an integral part of the future development of Birmingham Airport and Birmingham as place to do business. I shall be looking for tickets for matches at Aston Villa in the new year and into 2014 because even though I'm not an avid football fan it's always great to show some love to my student city, besides I really enjoyed my afternoon at the football!
It's easy to say that Aston Villa have a winning formula even though things didn't pan out so good for this match, I know their winning luck will return on Boxing Day for their next match against Crystal Palace. I'm super glad I managed to get tickets to see this match between Aston Villa and Manchester United for it was a great experience that took me back to my afternoon at the New York Red Bull Stadium in Harrison, NJ. I'm hopeful that next year I shall return to Aston, Birmingham to experience the Gregorian manor house Aston Hall, so watch this space AVFC!
Aston Villa Football Club . . . Serving Birmingham Football Realness Since 1894!
Joseph Harrison
