Smash hit

44 HP Sauce

It was the happiest of geographical juxtapositions that England’s greatest culinary gift to the world – HP Sauce – was for decades manufactured just half a mile away from the home of our nation’s finest sporting institution, Villa Park. That was until some faceless multinational decided to remove production of the most quintessentially British product from its cherished Aston factory to the Netherlands.

43 “Do you want to bet against us”

Nothing was more likely to make Ron Saunders’ blood boil than a roomful of journalists, especially when many of them were the Fleet Street heavyweights, the despised “London mafia”, who gave his team so little credit. So, on the night of April 14, 1981 when Ipswich Town had just beaten Villa 2-1 to move into pole position in the title race, Saunders was simmering nicely when he conducted his post-match press conference. Someone – either a very brave man or the one standing nearest to the door – suggested that the defeat spelled the end of Villa’s hopes. Saunders stuck out his chin, “Do you want to bet against us?” He was right, too. Ipswich wilted, Villa won two of their next three games, and could even afford a defeat on the last day at Highbury on their way to being crowned champions.

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42 Ramsay and Rinder

It takes more than great footballers to make a great football club. Two men more than any others shaped the destiny of the Villa – George Ramsay and Frederick Rinder. Ramsay was a player first, a dazzling Scottish dribbler who so impressed his new team-mates when he asked to join in a practice match that they instantly made him captain. But it was as secretary that Ramsay shone, establishing a matchless organisational infrastructure and – long before anyone thought of appointing a manager – playing the key role in all signings. Rinder came to prominence in 1892, leading a revolt against the committee and earning himself a key role in the new hierarchy. Under his driving, ambitious leadership, Villa embarked upon a dizzying run of success that established them as the leading club in the game.

41 Being in Porridge

It was natural perhaps that the greatest football club should appear in the greatest sitcom. Lennie Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale, was Fletch’s youthful Brummie cellmate in Slade Prison and made several references to “the Villa” during the classic comedy series. A nice authentic West Midlands touch by scriptwriters Clement and La Frenais to make it “the” Villa, too.

40 Tranmere on penalties

When the draw for the Coca-Cola Cup semi-finals in 1994 paired us with Tranmere Rovers there were those who thought it not at all premature to make their Wembley travel arrangements. But in the first leg at Prenton Park, Tranmere were inspired while the Villa were dreadful and the underdogs won 3-1. That away goal – scored by Dalian Atkinson with the last kick of the game – gave a glimmer of hope for the return and on Sunday February 27 Villa Park was packed for the club’s most dramatic match of the modern era. First up, Villa raced into a 2-0 lead inside 23 minutes – job done, through on away goals. Then John Aldridge pulled one back from a penalty with goalkeeper Mark Bosnich lucky not to be sent off and Tranmere were back in charge. There are no more goals until – two minutes from time – Atkinson headed in Daley’s cross to produce a roar of terrifying volume and intensity and send the match into extra time. Penalties were needed but in Bosnich, the brash and brilliant young Aussie, we had just the man for the moment. He saved three brilliantly and – after an afternoon that sapped the emotions of all 40,593 present – Villa were on their way back to Wembley.

39 1976-77

Perhaps the biggest frustration of being a Villa fan is that classic seasons tend to be one offs, rarely followed by a second memorable campaign, and that good teams seldom develop into great ones. No line-up demonstrated this infuriating tendency better than the men who rampaged through the first division in 1976-77 but then faded from view as quickly as they had emerged. There are Villa fans of a certain age – and I’m one of them – who will go to their graves insisting that this was a better team in many respects than the one that won the championship and European Cup a few years later. Dennis Mortimer, the only man who played in both, has some sympathy with that argument so it is not totally a crackpot theory. Playing fast, high octane attacking football built on an athleticism that was years ahead of its time, Ron Saunders’ team won the League Cup, reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and finished fourth in the league, smashing goal after spectacular goal past the best teams in the land. Best of all was the December night when Liverpool – who won the title and the European Cup that season – were stuffed 5-1 with all the goals coming in perhaps the most memorable first 45 minutes in Villa Park history.