Harrogate Town 2-2 Sutton United (2018)

Harrogate Town 2-2 Sutton United
Vanarama National League
Saturday 4th August 2018

The first time I watched Harrogate Town, they got battered 5-0 at Droylsden in September 2009 and, by the end of that season, only problems elsewhere at other clubs stopped them from being relegated from the Conference North.

A year later, when I next saw them in action, they were comfortably dispatched again - this time suffering a 3-0 reverse on home soil to AFC Telford United in the FA Trophy.

Only in the 2012/13 campaign did I see them win a game for the first time and even that was in somewhat unusual circumstances as they cruised to a 6-1 'home' success over Corby Town at the Keepmoat Stadium (some 40 miles from Harrogate) which hosted the game due to the Wetherby Road pitch being severely affected by the harsh winter. All the goals came in the second half and the attendance that night was just 99!

Fast-forward just over five more years to August 2018 and, as well as having changed their club crest and built a new terrace at Wetherby Road (stood on for the first time when Leeds United visited in a pre-season friendly in July 2015 - another game which I saw), and Harrogate's fortunes on the pitch had also changed remarkably. They'd just won promotion to non-league's top tier for the first time having beaten Brackley Town in the National League North Play-Off Final, and a big crowd was expected for their season-opener against Sutton United.

Ahead of the game I remember checking their fan forums to get a general consensus of the mood and expectations around the club and there were mixed views. Some fans were cautious and expected a tough campaign partly due to the fact other local teams such as Halifax, York, Guiseley and North Ferriby had all suffered relegation from the same division in the previous few years. Others were more optimistic and believed mid-table consolidation was entirely possible and there were also the 'eternal optimists' who thought that the 4G playing surface might help them get further up the table.

What probably nobody expected, however, was that almost two years to the day (and at the time of writing) Harrogate would be preparing for a Play-Off Final against Notts County in the knowledge that a win will take them up to the Football League.

Anyway, I'd booked tickets online a few days beforehand and was very much looking forward to the game with Sutton who themselves had proven to be 'decent fodder' in the National League over the previous couple of years. Unfortunately though perhaps unsurprisingly, by the time I arrived just after 2.00pm, match programmes had already sold-out.

Harrogate had a decent squad at the time including some players with Doncaster connections such as Joe Leesley and Callum Howe. Jack Muldoon, who was in the youth set-up at DRFC and played alongside Howe at Lincoln - helping the Imps to become National League champions in 2016/17, had just been signed from AFC Fylde. Elsewhere, they had George Thomson - a dynamic goal-scoring midfielder with a good record at FC United and Chester, plus a plethora of players who'd helped them win promotion the previous season. Their 'experienced head' came in the shape of ex-Shrewsbury and Northampton player Kelvin Langmead.

On a sunny afternoon with 1,378 inside Wetherby Road (or the CNG Stadium as it's officially called), the hosts started brightly and pressed with intent inside the opening half-hour but weren't able to get a reward for their efforts as the woodwork twice thwarted them. Instead, very much against the run of play, Harrogate's 'keeper James Belshaw cut a frustrated figure when Sutton's Charlie Clough got his head to a dangerous free-kick from out wide and directed the ball into the back of the net - sparking celebrations from the 80 or so visiting fans directly behind the goal.

The second half saw Town regain their composure and continue to press with intent, nonetheless, and after Muldoon levelled close to the hour mark, it looked as if they would make the perfect start to life at a higher level when Langmead struck with just a few minutes remaining to put them 2-1 up. But it wasn't to be though, because on the brink of injury-time referee Simon Mather spotted a handball inside the Harrogate area and duly awarded Sutton a spot-kick which was calmly converted by Jamie Collins following a short delay.

A few weeks later I made another impromptu trip back to North Yorkshire to see the clash with Solihull Moors which ended in a deserved 3-1 win for Harrogate - an occasion which also saw 'Harry Gator' (a dinosaur) unveiled as the new club mascot, whilst on a third visit in 2018, Simon Weaver's team were on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline against Fylde.

Whatever happens in this Sunday's Play-Off Final against Notts County, there's no doubt that Harrogate have made remarkable progress in the past few years and should be proud of their achievements. They certainly haven't struggled to make their mark at a higher level.

Nur Nach Hause, Berlin!

Hertha Berlin 2-1 Koln
Bundesliga
Saturday 22nd October 2016

'So then... what is the best stadium that you've been to?'

It's a question which regularly gets asked amongst football fans on social media, internet forums, on the terraces and in the pubs and, depending on your age and experiences, it will be met by a wide variety of different answers.

There are those who'll judge the word 'best' on grandeur and size, whereas others will consider facilities, access options and even the proximity to transport links. There are also people who'll wear their hearts on their sleeves and answer with a particular venue where their own team won an important match which is well-remembered by fans of that club.

As a veteran of travelling here, there and pretty much everywhere watching football games, my own considered answer to this question would be the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

It's a vast stadium which forms the focal point of a large complex on the western outskirts of the capital and it possesses a spectacular 'wow' factor making it unique from everywhere else on the planet. Located not too far from the city's International Bus Station (around half-an-hour by foot), the arena's history dates back almost a century as it was built for the 1936 Olympic Games - the competition where Adolf Hitler famously snubbed Jesse Owens after the sprinter's double Gold Medal exploits. In more modern times the stadium has also seen other iconic sporting moments such as Zinedine Zidane's senseless headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup Final and Usain Bolt breaking both the 100m and 200m world records (which remain to this day), three years later.

What makes the Olympiastadion even more remarkable is that other than a roof being added, the entire site hasn't changed a significant deal in the years since its initial construction. Nearly every piece of pre-war architecture remains intact around the perimeter bowl with placards found at various points around the concourse. The famous Bell Tower can be seen from everywhere inside the 75,000-capacity venue, whilst the original bell itself from the 1936 Olympics; damaged during air strikes in the second world war, lies adjacent to the sweeping green space of The Maifield.

It's architecturally a phenomenal place to visit and, simply, if you haven't been here then you really need to visit at some point.

Having been 'wowed' by the place only a few months earlier during a self-guided tour, when the opportunity arose to see Hertha Berlin (who play their homes matches here) in action in October 2016, there was no way I was turning it down.

Afterall, the Bundesliga offers the best matchday experience in Europe; it's affordable, fixtures are well-attended, it's an enjoyable culture and, very much unlike the Premier League, supporters of rival teams are often able to sit side-by-side without the need to hurl obscenities at one another.

Hertha's opponents were FC Koln who, at the time, were riding high in the league table. It promised to be a decent contest and a rousing rendition of 'Nur Nach Hause' (the club's anthem which loosely translates to 'This Is Our House') only whet the appetite further. Being amongst a crowd of approximately 60,000, pretty much all of whom held a scarf aloft whilst they belted out their hymn with total passion, was the sort of experience which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

The Olympiastadion will, however, have seen more spectacular games than this one because what unfolded on the pitch was a straightforward win for Hertha - without too much drama, controversy or incident. Vedad Ibesevic's early goal put them into a 1-0 half-time lead, before Anthony Modeste levelled for the visitors shortly after the hour mark. Just as Koln's fans were beginning to harbour hopes that they may be able to take a point from the fixture though, Niklas Stark popped up with what proved to be the winning goal on 75 minutes.

Koln did manage to have the last laugh during the season, nonetheless, as they finished in fifth position - above Hertha only on goal difference, but enough for them to qualify for the Europa League - their first venture into Europe for 25 years!

Mansfield Town 1-2 Doncaster Rovers (2004)

Mansfield Town 1-2 Doncaster Rovers
Nationwide Division Three
Saturday 21st February 2004

This was one of the undoubted 'epic' Doncaster Rovers away days in modern times! An absolute classic which had passion, drama, excitement and a golden result which made everyone believe promotion really was going to happen!

Gregg Blundell wheels away in delight after his equaliser (Photo: Dan Westwell).

It was Saturday 21st February 2004 and whilst Britney Spears' new track 'Toxic' was competing alongside 'Take Me To The Clouds Above' (LMC vs U2) and 'Hey Ya' by Outkast in the UK Singles Charts, Rovers were positively perched in second position in Nationwide Division Three (nowadays League Two) and on the hunt for back-to-back promotions.

In opposition were Mansfield Town - two positions and six points worse off in the league table albeit having a game in hand, so it promised to be a crunch 'six-pointer' for both teams.

Rovers' away following had been both vocal and strong in numbers throughout the 2003/04 campaign up to this point and long queues had formed at Rovers' ticket office when the away allocation of around 2,500 went on sale a few weeks earlier. A capacity-crowd was expected and, bizarrely, it included Labour MP John Prescott (famous at the time for punching a protester who'd once thrown an egg at him). He was the 'Guest of Honour' and making a pre-match presentation...

Scuffles in the six-yard box (Photo: Unknown).

Paul Mayfield was doing a splendid job organising buses for away fixtures and at least a dozen of them departed Belle Vue's pot-hole ridden car park just after midday and if ever an omen was needed that it might be a good day, then it came when 'You Get What You Give' by the New Radicals - a one-hit wonder 'pump up' tune which could put anyone in a good mood and make them think positively, played over the radio.

Having arrived in Nottinghamshire just over an hour later, there was already a nasty and poisonous atmosphere swirling around inside Field Mill which just added to the big game tension. One way or another it was going to be a crunch occasion.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to kick-off, Prescott did his best to unite everyone. He was roundly booed, heckled and derided by all four sides of the ground with several 'W****r', 'You Fat B*****d' and 'Eggs' chants aimed in his direction as his smiles turned to scornful looks of disgust.

Blundell celebrates his equaliser, but what is the linesman doing? (Photo: Unknown).

Soon after that side-show came the main event as the teams emerged from the Quarry Lane End tunnel; the stand behind the goal where the bulk of Rovers' fans were located, and the subsequent 90 minutes proved to be a nerve-jangling, tension-fueled, toxic, rip-roaring rollercoaster of a thriller!

Rovers began brightly and spent much of the first 10 minutes pressing, probing and forcing Mansfield to carry out their defensive duties but they came unstuck when Tim Ryan was penalised by referee Graham Salisbury (who wasn't the best!) for handling inside his own box. Responsibility for the resulting spot-kick fell to Stags' talisman Liam Lawrence and he hit a low effort to Andy Warrington's left-hand side; the ball carrying just enough power for it to squirm beyond the Rovers 'keeper's dive and into the net as a few over-eager celebrations turned into quiet, ponderous groans. Mansfield were 1-0 up.

Ricky Ravenhill, who later played for Mansfield, tackles Liam Lawrence (Photo: Unknown).

The Stags fans were soon giving it the 'big one' - directing plenty of 'Dirty Yorkshire B******s' chants and other pleasantries in the direction of the Rovers' contingent, whilst also willing their heroes in amber and blue to get a second goal. Perhaps no surprise was that there were more than a few 'SCAB' retorts back to the less-than-friendly hosts. Tensions on the pitch boiled over on a few occasions as well with 'argy bargy' incidents with pushing and shoving aplenty forcing Mr Salisbury to dish out a handful of yellow cards in order to keep a lid on things.

It was still 1-0 at half-time, when some Rovers fans were chucked out after fracas with stewards, but not long into the second half (on 60 minutes, to be precise) came the release of tension and pure adrenaline-fueled pandemonium which everyone in the away end craved as Gregg Blundell got on the end of a flick on from Michael McIndoe's downfield ball and kept his composure to slot beyond Kevin Pilkington and make it 1-1; whipping his shirt off and sprinting away towards the corner flag in celebration. Rovers' fans were now roaring loudly with approval, belting out 'Rovers Til I Die' and other songs, whilst those in the home ends looked crestfallen, knowing the tide had shifted.

One goal was a definite advance but, seven minutes later, came another moment which sparked unadulterated jubilant joy, explicit euphoria and more pandemonium as Blundell spun niftily to get on the end of JJ Melligan's right-wing cross before slotting home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Paul Green attracts attention (Photo: Unknown).

The noise from the away end was deafening. It was a defining moment in not just the game, but the season and the comeback was completed. It was 2-1. It was incredible. In boxing terms, Mansfield were on the ropes, glumly slumping towards the canvas almost inconsolably whilst Rovers were triumphantly towering tall, feeling proud, and on the verge of taking a very important f**king step towards promotion.

Despite the Stags' best efforts as dusk descended on Field Mill, there were no further goals and the 2,500-strong away following sounded more like 10,000 - willing the team on and singing aloud, before they were able to jubilantly scream with pure delight and triumph when the referee eventually blew for the final whistle.

Having delivered a thunderous knockout punch to a genuine promotion contender on their own patch, there was a now an almost-tangible sense of anticipation amidst the joyful, passionate and adrenaline-filled celebrations that the promotion dream really could become a great big reality.

A montage of photos from this important win in Nottinghamshire.

As Rovers fans trudged out of Field Mill with joyful smiles in the minutes after the game, Mansfield's lunatic fringe (unable to accept defeat gracefully) opted to consolidate their reputation for being a bunch of d*ck heads by hurling bricks, bottles and other objects at any Rovers fan in sight - including those on the travelling supporters buses which had windows smashed. Others were targeted further away from the ground as Nottinghamshire Police struggled to maintain order and even Paul Mayfield, who'd been commentating on the game in the relative safety of the press box, received threats when he made his way out, only to be saved by good friend and all-round good egg, Rob Waite.

Events after this game cost Stags fans in the long-term though because at the end of the 2003/04 season and only days after a similarly sh*t penalty by Liam Lawrence cost Mansfield promotion to League One, Nottinghamshire Police forcibly switched the away end at Field Mill to the North Stand which backs onto a retail park - thus making it easier to safely police even though that stand had traditionally been for 'home fans' for decades previously. The Bishop Street Stand was condemned altogether and still hasn't been seriously developed in the many years since this game.

Despite shenanigans afterwards, the day will always be looked back upon fondly when it comes to discussions about great, fantastic and memorable Doncaster Rovers away days! Nothing might have been decided there and then but everyone present knew what it meant and knew promotion was just going to happen from this game onwards.

And 'You Get What You Give' by the New Radicals never, ever sounded so good!

A couple of other little known-facts about this game is that it was actually Dave Mulligan's debut for Rovers - having signed from Barnsley, whilst Adebayo Akinfenwa was an unused substitute and on the bench for the very first time. He'd been training with the club throughout the week, played in a reserve game at Scunthorpe three days earlier, and had signed a contract until the end of the season.

Team: Andy Warrington, Tim Ryan, Mark Albrighton, Steve Foster, Dave Mulligan, JJ Melligan, Ricky Ravenhill, Paul Green, Michael McIndoe, Greg Blundell (Chris Brown), Leon Fortune-West. Unused Subs: John McGrath, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Barry Richardson, Chris Beech.

THE CHAMPIONS!

Doncaster Rovers - EFL Youth Alliance Champions 2019/20.

Over 80 days after the Football League announced the remaining matches wouldn't take place, it's FINALLY been confirmed - Doncaster Rovers are the EFL Youth Alliance champions for the 2019/20 campaign.

Winning away at Scunthorpe!

Get the party poppers, bangers, smoke grenades and champagne out...

For a blow-by-blow, game-by-game review of how the title was won - click here - as all the old blogs/reports/articulated nonsense won't be deleted at any point.

It's an achievement which sees the latest crop write their names into the history books because at no point since the academy was relaunched in 2004, have Doncaster Rovers won the Youth Alliance League. Having also checked with club historian, John Coyle, it appears that Rovers never won the Northern Intermediate League which started soon after the Second World War and was the long-term predecessor to the Youth Alliance.

Therefore, it means the 'Class of 2020' (who are all listed below) are the first ever Doncaster Rovers team to ever win a youth title! Nobody can take this achievement away from the lads whatever happens in the future; they've been the best, won the most games, scored the most goals and now, they're officially THE CHAMPIONS!

Ben Blythe
Ben Bottomley
Charlie Bell
Elliott Walker
Ethan Bojang
Jack Watson
Josh Clemitson
Junior Smith
Kian Johnson
Lewis Cunningham
Liam Ravenhill
Lirak Hasani
Luca Nelson
Marius Conradi
Max Jemson
Nathan Dimou
Owan Derrett
Will McGowan

The only previous silverware won by the youth team was eight years ago in 2011/12 when that crop lifted the Youth Alliance Cup.

Hopefully, at some point in the future, the lads will get their well-earned winners' medals and a trophy presentation (of sorts) will happen on the Keepmoat Stadium pitch infront on a matchday in front of a crowd.

But for now, get this blasted out over the speakers...

Sunshine, storms and Sociedad...

Doncaster Rovers 1-0 Real Sociedad
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 22nd July 2006

Some pre-season friendlies are infinitely more memorable than others though this one was always going to be a bit different as it's not often former La Liga winners rock up in South Yorkshire.

It wasn't Barcelona, Real Madrid or even Atletico Madrid, who'd come for a kick about though. No. Instead, Real Sociedad, who two years earlier were playing in the Champions League, were in England for a pre-season schedule which included a trip to, err, Doncaster Rovers.

The team line-up for the pre-match handshake (Photo: Unknown)

The game was at Rovers' old Belle Vue ground; a venue which was often dubbed the worst in the country by visiting supporters due to the chronic lack of facilities, leaky roof and numerous supporting pillars which hindered your view of the pitch.

Only around 20-30 hardy souls made the trip from the city of San Sebastian (where Sociedad are based) to Belle Vue and those who did were welcomed with some rather unusual pre-match offerings on the PA system including the track 'Viva Espana'. All well and good, apart from the fact that San Sebastian is located in the Basque Country - a region which is notorious because it has wanted independence from Spain for several years!

There was a mixture of perplexed, puzzled and embarrassed looks on the faces of those in the away section, who were exclusively located in their own seating block in the Main Stand, and it wouldn't be the first time the visitors would have similar looks of bewilderment that afternoon, either, as nobody could have predicted what would unfold.

Sociedad's squad at the time actually included one or two very good players who'd either 'been there and done it' or who went on to bigger and better things such as Darko Kovacevic, Javi Garrido and Claudio Bravo - yes, the goalkeeper who won the Champions League with Barcelona and was signed by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Though most online material seems to have vanished off the face of the earth, I've managed to acquire a team-sheet and Bravo was in goal - meaning Nick Fenton, who bagged what turned out to be the opening goal midway through the first half, scored past him! I wonder if he remembers it?

Only at half-time did the first signs that something out of the ordinary might be about to happen as foreboding grey clouds began to linger ominously in the skies above Belle Vue, replacing the sunshine that had made it a pleasant day. There had been some stormy downpours in the days previously, but this looked different with the skies resembling anything but the height of British summertime.

Inevitably, it wasn't long before illumination was needed and the floodlights had to be switched on - probably for the first time ever on a July afternoon at a football stadium in England. Soon, the heavens opened and, needless to say, it was pretty spectacular.

There was still around a quarter of the game left to play as those on the Main Stand terraces inched themselves as far under the roof as possible in a vain effort to avoid a soaking, but such was the violent ferocity of the rain, everyone got drenched - including those in the seats who suffered thanks to a leaky roof. Patrons on the Town End and Rosso End bore the brunt of the downpour as rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance whilst one or two lightning strikes were visible in the distance if you looked beyond the Popside Terrace.

On the pitch, with Rovers attacking towards the Rosso End, there was no escape from the weather and in one particular attack Sean Thornton slid from the edge of the 18-yard-box straight across the saturated pitch and well into the six-yard box (akin to a child on a water slide at a theme park) as he attempted to win possession. The grin on his face, coupled with laughter from those watching, told you everything about how wild things had become.

Gareth Roberts marks Darko Kovacevic (Photo: Unknown).

By this stage, the minority from San Sebastian, still no doubt puzzled by the 'Viva Espana' episode and more accustomed to sweltering 40 degrees temperatures at this time of year, were looking dumbfounded and may as well have had 'What the f**k?' written across their faces once more - was this really what British summers are like? It's no exaggeration to say that one or two of the visitors probably thought their lives were in danger because they'd definitely never seen anything like it.

Despite a brief lull in the thunderstorm during the closing few minutes of the game, Part Two arrived as fans made their way off the terraces and went home. The infamous pot-holes around the car park were bursting with mucky storm-water - posing problems for those who 'ran the gauntlet' of another drenching to get to their parked cars. Some attempted to use trees along Bawtry Road as cover whilst the storm passed, many people went topless and just accepted defeat as they walked home, others remained on the terraces and many went into the breeze-block clubhouse with the distinctive red roof, constructed just a few years earlier, but even that had been damaged during the downpour.

One thing which everyone had in common was they were all soaking wet!

Floodlights on at Belle Vue... at 4.30pm on a summer afternoon! (Photo: Unknown).

Less than half an hour later, the grey skies had disappeared and it would have been appropriate for Charlie Swallow, up repairing the PA box at the back of the Main Stand, to blast out a bit of 'Mr Blue Sky' by the Electric Light Orchestra, had it been working. The PA system suffered particularly badly as a result of leakage from the downpour - so much so that it was literally held together with duck tape for the remainder of the year!

Sociedad went on to play at Leicester, West Brom and Tottenham on the rest of their pre-season tour which makes the trip to Doncaster even more obscure, but whatever it was they were trying to achieve from their time in England clearly didn't work as they got relegated nine months or so later.

I'm sure, however, that somewhere amidst the luxury villas and glorious apartments on San Sebastian's golden coastline, tales will have been told and it will be etched into local folklore about the time their football team got caught up in the God Father of all rainstorms in an ex-mining town in South Yorkshire.

The team-sheet which reveals Claudio Bravo did play at Belle Vue!

A report of the game which later featured in the DRFC programme - the line-up conflicts greatly with the team-sheet so who knows who actually featured for Rovers?

Hull City 1-3 Aston Villa (2018)

Hull City 1-3 Aston Villa
Sky Bet Championship
Monday 6th August 2018

If you rewind the clock back to almost two years ago, this meeting between Hull City and Aston Villa remains pertinent for all sorts of reasons.

At the time, it was the next 'competitive' game for the Villains after their Championship Play-Off Final defeat to Fulham - something which left them staring both a financial apocalypse and a long spell outside the Premier League, square in the face. It also saw their then-manager, Steve Bruce, returning to a club where he'd enjoyed some of his best days, having twice led the Tigers to promotion to the top division. Jack Grealish's inclusion in Villa's line-up came amidst rumours of an impending move to Tottenham, though it never came to fruition.

Hull, meanwhile, under the tumultuous ownership of Assem Allam, were facing a similarly uncertain time with budget cuts, ever-diminishing crowds, rising ticket prices and fall-outs galore. Relegated from the top flight a year earlier, they'd barely made a mark in the Championship in 2017/18 and optimism about the new season was barely lukewarm.

Writing nearly two years later and it's possible that Villa, who parted with Bruce before going on to clinch promotion, via the play-offs, under Dean Smith, may plunge straight back into the Championship; a scenario which will bring about more questions of their long-term future and whether they can again retain Grealish's services. Hull, on the other hand, are still plagued by the same off-field troubles as before, whilst on the pitch they look destined to drop into League One for the first time in well over a decade.

It's fair to say that for supporters of either, it's been a long, drawn out and painful process watching their respective club slip further into crisis and a seemingly bleak future; an absolute world away from some great days which weren't all that long ago.

Anyway, this game, unsurprisingly televised by Sky Sports given its sub-plots, posed lots of intrigue and once I'd worked out that train times made it possible to get to Hull and back then it was my intention to go to it. I'd not been to the KC Stadium (now named the Kcom Stadium) for quite a few years and that played as much of a part in my decision-making as anything else.

The weather was perfect though purchasing a ticket wasn't quite as straightforward as Hull's ticket office were operating new 'self-serve' ticket machines whereby you choose a particular seat on a virtual map and print off a receipt which was actually your match ticket. It looked and felt 'cheap' and somewhat ridiculous though maybe it's a sign of things to come in the future?

Though the away end was packed to the rafters, the home end was very sparsely-populated; gilt-edged evidence of Allem's huge unpopularity.

In the Tigers' lower league days at the KC, in the mid-2000s, they were regularly attracting attendances around the 20,000 mark, yet the turn out for this fixture was 14,071 - a record 'low' for a league game at their current home. Nevertheless, that figure has been beaten frequently since with more and more folk deciding they can't suffer any more of Allem! With attendances often around the 10,000 mark prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, it's fair to say the potential for 'social distancing' in football stadiums probably won't pose Hull City too many problems if/when they entertain the likes of Northampton and Rochdale next season.

Those who did turn out for this lovely summer's evening affair were treated to a decent contest and a couple of early goals with Evandro Goboel opening the scoring inside 10 minutes for Hull, though his effort was quickly forgotten about as Tommy Elphick equalised for Aston Villa following a really good, set-piece routine.

Thereafter, Villa began to get a firmer grip on things and ultimately they dominated and dictated play. Grealish was unusually quiet considering his high standards but his midfield team-mate Conor Hourihane went close with an effort which clipped the upright, before Ahmed Elmohamady pounced upon a mistake by Tigers' 'keeper David Marshall to make it 2-1 with about 20 minutes remaining.

It didn't stay that way for too much longer, however, as Alan Hutton pounced on more sloppy defensive work to add a third goal - thus leaving home fans eerily silent with many pondering just what exactly the campaign ahead would have in store whilst the visitors from Villa Park danced gleefully and sang with great delight in the away end.

Grealish seemingly waved 'goodbye' to those in claret and blue when he was substituted with only a few minutes remaining - no doubt expecting to finalise his move to Tottenham soon afterwards though one thing led to another, it never came to fruition and instead his season ended with him injuring himself lifting up the play-off winners trophy!

Another year on, it remains to be seen what lays ahead for everyone on what will be a pivotal final day of the season...