Our former Aston Villa writer Ash Preece popped back to BirminghamLive to reflect on covering the club behind closed doors
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Ashley Preece was back on the Claret and Blue podcast talking about covering Aston Villa in the pandemic
Ashley Preece was back on the Claret and Blue podcast talking about covering Aston Villa in the pandemic
This month marks five years to the day since the UK went into lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic which affected the entire globe - and which brought sport across the world to a halt for months on end.
Aston Villa headed into the unforeseen pause having just lost in the EFL Cup final to Manchester City, and with their Premier League status, only regained months earlier at Wembley, very much under threat.
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When they returned to action, it was a very different environment; the thousands who'd normally roar Dean Smith's Villa on were absent. Football returned eventually but was played out behind closed doors. The Lions had to fight their way to survival without the support of the claret and blue fanbase.
One Villa fan who was in attendance every step of the way was BirminghamLive's former Villa reporter Ashley Preece. To mark five years since that surreal experience of travelling around the country with Villa as they battled against the odds to ensure they remained in the top flight, the Claret And Blue podcast welcomed Ash back to reflect on his experiences.
You can listen to the entire podcast with Ash, Mat Kendrick and Dan Rolinson by clicking here - alternatively it's available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It's also available to watch on YouTube by clicking here.
How were those first couple of weeks after lockdown was confirmed?
AP: Bizarre, wasn't it? Yeah, the expectation was a couple of weeks to a month or something like that. It'll blow over kind of thing. No one expected the sheer seriousness of what was the pandemic. So yeah, it wasn't an uncertain time, but we didn't take it as serious.
Oh, it'd be okay. Month off or something, and we'll go again, but for it to turn out the way it did was pretty, pretty incredible and, yeah, and Project Restart came along. It's just bringing back loads of memories now for the fans at home.
It was pretty of a crazy time. We were the first game back as well in the Premier League, Sheffield United, I think.
What was the routine at Villa Park like on a matchday?
AP: You got you your checks of a Covid test before every game to make sure you're okay. Socially distant - you had to do that. You have to follow with all the arrows around Villa Park and all this, and go to the ticket office to get your accreditation and to stand apart and to do a temperature check on the way.
Then you walked down the Trinity Road and you'd just walk through and then you'd sit in the Trinity as you would now, but obviously you'd be out through the concourse and then you're there for the match. They didn't give you food. As soon as the game finished you got a Zoom link - there's your post-match press conference and off you go.
Something clicked in Project Restart to spark the survival push...
AP: They really had to, they were conceding far too many chances and teams were just sailing through us. It needed a total rethink, really. And I think they had a bit of a get-together. Dean Smith, obviously, at the time, he was just too gung-ho and too stuck in his ways. He was very, very stubborn.
I think he got JT a bit more involved and they changed the way they were playing, a bit more defensive minded. And it just flicked a switch with them, really, and they got a bit of momentum, getting the odd result here and there. Luckily we survived. Yeah, it did look bleak at the time. I did fear for them.
What about that fateful afternoon at West Ham?
AP: You hope it's straightforward, but it never is, is it? I think it was all over us at the time, but then obviously Grealish scored. Bit of a relief there. And then Yarmolenko obviously scored pretty straight after.
Then they're all huddled round on the pitch. I remember seeing Neil Cutler and they're all round the phone waiting, waiting. And then obviously they went up there. At West Ham,the journalists are really high. You're so far away from the pitch. Might as well be in your front room at the time.
You're so, so far away, but just watching the scenes and them unfolding and being privileged again to be there with them, sharing that moment was amazing. And the effort, yeah, I remember doing my little walk and talk after the game around the ground...great, great times.
And I think they went back to the Belfry after and had a bit of a knees up - they deserved to do it. It was amazing, considering how bleak it was for them. It was a proper team effort, everyone was in on it and to survive with the scenes there were great.
That win over Liverpool must've been some experience...
AP: I think it was such a privileged position to be going to the football and the thousands and millions aren't. It was pretty incredible, yeah. Looking back at it now, I was so privileged to... able to do that and to be one of, let's say, a few dozen to be there for the 7-2 as well. I was there for the 7-2, not many people can say that.
I had to rub my eyes, pinch myself. What's going on here? Very surreal, the goals kept flowing in. We didn't play too great, it's just every chance went in, there were a couple of ricochets, they're carving through Liverpool. Good Liverpool team as well. I know they had Adrian in goal, but other than that Van Dijk...they're all playing, and to rip them up the way they did, and for me to be there will live long in the memory.
What was covering the press conferences remotely like?
AP: You'd do that from home, yes, I've got Dean Smith in my lounge, basically. All the journalists had two questions each. Strange times, all jumping on a zoom call. The manager is there for you, but it was strange for us. Broadcast went first and then they'd put all the reporters, the online and the newspaper journalists in after.
I got a telling off from Dean once or twice, just over some headlines and some in-house interviews. I'd blame Mat Kendrick! Let me speak! I think I got muted.
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You can listen to the entire podcast with Ash, Mat Kendrick and Dan Rolinson by clicking here - alternatively it's available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It's also available to watch on YouTube by clicking here.