Villa gatecrash the Champions League and it's the stuff of dreams

Weird how it happens, right?

And happened is the right word. Qualification for 24/25 Champions League has just happened to Villa.

Manchester City beat Tottenham, and Villa now find themselves locked into 4th place, undeniably so. It happened to them, thanks to another game in another part of the country

That might sound a bit passive, and really, it is. But it doesn't mean Villa didn't deserve it. After all, their form throughout a tremendous season has secured this place. Tottenham just couldn't catch up to the bar Emery had set. Not this season.

And what a season.

Tremendous highs against the biggest teams England, and some lows including humblings from day one in the league and Europa Conference League to a rough semi-final in Piraeus against Olympiacos.

And at this final bookmark, qualification for Europe's premier club competition is in the bag. Over 40 years after they left the scene.

It feels amazing. There's almost a shock of numbness as well, as much as we bleat on about 'Villa being a big club', it almost feels as if things like this shouldn't happen to 'clubs like Villa'. We're meant to watch from the sidelines as Manchester City dominate, Liverpool play the heroes every so often, Arsenal and Tottenham win the hipsters over, and as both Manchester United and Chelsea depress everyone. It's their party, or at least made to feel like it.

Bollocks to that. Clubs injected with steroid-like cash, and helped with financial fair play buffers sit at the top table with the ladder pulled up. The only way to win is to play by their rules. Get taken over by a state. Have billionaires run the place.

On that one, Aston Villa as a football club are utterly blessed by their owners when it comes to how they have overseen the footballing project. Mistakes have been corrected, and the right team has been put in charge. There has been genuine care placed into how this team sees itself as a footballing power, and both Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens should take tremendous credit for that. Handing the reins over to Unai Emery in the manner that they did was never really a risk. Villa had nowt to lose and everything to gain.

And so it goes that they gained everything. Come what may, we'll all look back at this season as an incredible success - that may have lacked the icing on the cake in terms of silveware - but a barnstorming success nonetheless.

Now, reality, for a second. The difficulty of replicating Ron Saunders' and Tony Barton's 1982 success is going to take some effort. Realistically, it won't happen. Success is cyclical. It's boom, bust. We're so back, it's so over, we're so back. My rational advice? Enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.

But would you have said that Emery, in his first full season, would drag Villa to the Champions League? Maybe not. Maybe we shouldn't be rational. Maybe we leave reality at the door for a second. Bathe in childlike wonder.

It's no trophy, but it remains what dreams are made of. Thank you Villa. Thank you forever.

Now, more on dreams.

On the pitch, my lord

The 1897 Supporters Group offered me the chance to be a flagbearer for the match against Liverpool. I guess someone is reading this after all! Give them a follow

They are doing some tremendous work and have put some serious graft into creating and executing displays at Villa Park for the Olympiacos game as well as last night's Reds clash. That means walking and dropping flags/placards into each and every home seat. It's incredible.

The group, at lightning speed, have established themselves, set up their own section for a game (against Bournemouth where they made a tremendous racket), and executed two incredible displays. Barely weeks have passed between those events.

When they took aim at Villa Park's atmosphere, they put their money and effort where their mouth was.

Expect big things to be delivered well by a passionate team of ground-level fans like you and I.

What was it like on the pitch? Man, it took my breath away.

It's lost how loud it is at Villa. Fans sitting in the stand complain that it isn't loud.It is on that pitch. Pre-match, holding that flag at the centre circle, I couldn't hear a thing but the splitting of my ears and the roar of the Villa crowd. You can't hear the noise you're projecting forth, but it's a RACKET. Almighty one at that.

It was the experience of a lifetime and I almost feel guilty. I've covered the club for my local paper, alongside people I grew up reading. I've sat in press conferences and been banned from that for being a loudmouthed twat. I've walked the annals of the stadium for a day job. Why do I deserve this?

But now, I'm a fan, and it was the best feeling in the world. I'll drink that one in. I mean, at 10 I'd have been fucking buzzing if you told me that within 21 years I'd have reported on this team, and then held a big flag on the pitch.

He'd have loved it. I mean, he'd have loved it just if you said that Villa would get into the Champions League, but the rest? Man. It's just amazing what I've done for that lad, really. Even fifteen years ago, saying something like "It's shit now, but wait until 15 years later and look at your girlfriend, your football club and your day job."

It's amazing the support he's gotten from everyone as well, not least his Mom and Dad who paid for the tour that made that photo above a possiblity (and paid for my first season tickets, kits, boots et al).

As for that pitch event? 1897 made it happen, but so did Villa's incredible staff. Those working in marketing, and on the grounds are seriously wonderful people. They want to connect with the fans at a time when it can be tough to do so, and love the club. Their work with the 1897 group is an incredibly promising upsurge from the ground up. It's not a directive from the top, fans made this happen alongside willing folks at Villa. That is special.

Oh, I also had the pleasure of taking a tour around Villa Park today with Carol and a group of Villa fans. You can book these, and I suggest you get down on one. It's a nice experience, and shows you the hidden behind-the-scenes of the facilities on offer at Villa Park.

I'll leave you with this snap of the meeting place for our now legendary coaches (including big Austin MacPhee, who sits opposite with a few others).

UTV, and thanks for reading