What Aston Villa fans did to Newcastle hurt me - I didn't speak to anyone for an hour after
Aston Villa are back in Premier League action on Boxing Day as they prepare to take on Newcastle United at St James' Park.
This fixture has produced some memorable occasions in the past, not least when a narrow 1-0 victory in favour of the Midlands club relegated the Magpies to the Championship after a 16-year spell in the top flight back in 2009. At the end of a season defined by protests and sackings, it was an own goal from winger Damien Duff that sealed the win for Villa and decided Newcastle's fate.
However, it was what Villa fans did in the aftermath that lives long in the memory for those of a Newcastle persuasion. Not only was it Villa who relegated them from the Premier League, but they made sure to rub salt in their opponent's wounds.
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Banners that read: “Sob on the Tyne” and “Who’s your next Messiah? Ant or Dec?” were unveiled by the home support at Villa Park as the visitor's demotion was confirmed. The mocking at full time had such a significant impact, that former Newcastle caretaker manager, John Carver, brought it up six years later in 2015, as he admitted he was reminded of it every time the two teams met.
"Let me tell you, I never spoke to anybody for an hour after that full-time whistle went," Carver said, as quoted by Birmingham Live in 2015. “It really hurt me. I wasn’t with the football club, but it’s my club.
“That hurt me. Every time you come up against Aston Villa that stays in there. I remember the reaction of their fans after the game and that stays inside and will never go away. So every time you come against Aston Villa it’s in the back of my head."
It's fair to say a lot has changed for both clubs since that game in 2009. Villa themselves suffered relegation in 2016 and it took them three years to earn promotion and a return to the top flight.
In more recent history, both Villa and Newcastle have enjoyed more positive spells as they secured top four finishes in 2023 and 2024 respectively. The Magpies were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage last season, while Unai Emery 's side are hopeful of securing automatic qualification to the knockout rounds of the competition as part of a new-look league phase in the competition.
Just two points currently separate Villa and Newcastle in the Premier League standings, so Thursday's clash will be crucial for both sides in keeping European qualification hopes alive this season. That being said, it is testament to the progress of each club that neither side are in the midst of a relegation battle this term, and haven't been for a number of years.
