There are worse places to finally open your account for the club you’ve grown up dreaming of playing for.
Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner finally opened his account for his boyhood club on Sunday’s Midlands derby against Birmingham City and has dedicated the moment to the loyalty of his supporters, according to the Express and Star.
The 24-year-old broke into the Villa first team during the 2011/12 season but has seen his progress curtailed by a series of injuries and loan spells away from Villa Park with the likes of Nottingham Forest and Brighton.
However, Gardner is starting to cement his place this season under Roberto Di Matteo and Steve Bruce and finally opened his account for the club with a superb flicked header in the Second City derby before sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate with nearly 2,000 travelling fans at St Andrews.
And, although Birmingham midfielder David Davis rained on his parade somewhat by drilling in a second half equaliser, Gardner could hardly hide his delight post-match after finally netting for the club he grew up watching from the terraces.
“To score here is something I’ll never forget,” Gardner told the Express and Star. “It’s something that as a kid you dream about. There is no better feeling
“The Villa fans have been through so much over the past few years. So to run and celebrate with them was a great feeling.”
The last time Villa boss Steve Bruce was on the touchline for a Midlands derby, he had the blue of Birmingham behind him before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat in November 2011 and resigning a few days later following the protracted takeover by Carson Yeung.
The future is looking rather more positive nine years later across the city however, with Sunday’s draw meaning Bruce has now gone four games unbeaten since taking the job in September.
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