Monaco hike, karate classes and being stopped by a pilot - My Aston Villa Champions League journey

It’s a special time to be an Aston Villa supporter.

A generation of fans weren’t alive to witness the finest moment in the club’s storied 151-year history at De Kuip. But after so many years of striving to reach those heights again, Villa are dreaming once more under Unai Emery.

Reaching the quarter-finals in their first Champions League campaign under the Spaniard is a tremendous feat—made even more impressive by an eighth-placed league phase finish and a sterling effort against Paris Saint-Germain.

The French champions came from behind in the first leg, before being swept up in a Villa Park storm as Emery’s side roared back from a 5-1 aggregate deficit. They couldn’t quite complete what would have been an improbable comeback, but their spirit was infallible.

Despite being knocked out on Tuesday night, the second leg was a game for the ages in B6. The 3-2 victory—coupled with the 1-0 win against Bayern Munich—will be fondly remembered for decades.

Villa proved they belong in the Champions League and are a team to be feared. Those two results were statements that reverberated across the footballing world.

It was fitting that Bayern were the visitors as Villa hosted this competition for the first time in 41 years—and even more poetic that the scoreline mirrored the 1982 European Cup final.

The still image of Jhon Durán lobbing Manuel Neuer will never grow old, even if that moment becomes one of many in a future collage. Villa never intended to merely relive magical moments—they’re here to make more.

“We are walking in the footsteps of our great heroes from 1982 and those who followed them to glory,” Emery wrote in his PSG programme notes. “We have shown what we are capable of to the world.”

Villa’s Champions League journey ended on Tuesday, but the players left everything on the pitch. The power of Villa Park was evident once more. The Champions League flag has been planted.

This season’s Champions League campaign, however, began on a sombre note.

On Monday, September 17, a day before Villa kicked off their Champions League journey, European Cup-winning legend Gary Shaw passed away. He had been in serious condition in hospital after suffering injuries from a fall.

Regarded as one of the finest forwards ever to play for Villa, Shaw scored 79 goals in 213 appearances. A year before playing a key role in Villa's 1982 European triumph, he was named PFA Young Player of the Year after netting 18 goals in the club’s First Division title-winning season.

"Gary Shaw, Gary Shaw, Gary, Gary Shaw,
When he gets the ball he’s bound to score,
Gary, Gary Shaw."

That chant rang out before kick-off, and poignantly again in the eighth minute of Villa’s first league phase match against Young Boys.

About 15 minutes before kick-off, the Young Boys stadium announcer asked all fans to join in a round of applause as Shaw’s image appeared on the big screens. The PA said: “Aston Villa fans, one of your legends passed away yesterday. Everyone at BSC Young Boys wants to extend their wishes to his family, friends, and all supporters.”

It was a beautiful gesture from the Swiss club.

Then, for the first time, Villa fans heard the iconic Champions League anthem—before Emery’s side got off to the perfect start with a 3-0 victory at the Wankdorf Stadium. Young Boys were, frankly, a poor side.

My Champions League journey couldn’t have started much worse. After scanning my boarding pass, I received a text in the security line: your flight has been cancelled.

Stranded at BHX for just the 11 hours, I had more than enough time to research Villa’s opponents. To my surprise, Young Boys were rooted to the bottom of the Swiss Super League, having failed to win any of their opening six matches.

The morning after Villa’s win in Bern—evicted from my hotel room and with nowhere else to go—I found myself sitting on the side of a road, laptop balanced on a curb, dialing into Australia as Peter Withe spoke emotionally to me about Shaw’s passing.

The two talented strikers once lit up Villa Park with their goals, powering the club to its golden era in the early 1980s. They were an unstoppable force during the title-winning 1980–81 campaign and started together in seven of Villa’s eight matches en route to European Cup glory.

In the Rotterdam final, Shaw combined with Tony Morley to create the only goal of the match—scored by Withe. You can read his tribute here.

Bayern’s visit to Villa Park came a fortnight after Villa’s win against Young Boys, and Shaw’s passing was still fresh in the minds of all.

A few minutes after Villa took the lead through Durán's lob over Neuer, the Holte End began chanting for Shaw.

It was a result and performance that paid a fitting tribute to one of Villa's European Cup-winning heroes, whose name was written on the back of the matchday programme, just beneath the Villa squad list.

In the 69th minute, I noticed that Withe had been captured on the mini screens in the press box. I lifted my head to see Durán completing his warm-up.

A roar erupted from the Holte End as Durán ripped his jacket off in preparation to come on. Forty-two years after Withe’s iconic goal, Bayern were undone once again by a single strike from Villa's number nine. A repeat of history—it seemed, was written in the stars.

Villa made it three wins from three when they defeated Bologna 2-0 at the end of October.

After the victory, Villa topped the league phase table, and all of a sudden, a top-eight finish became a genuine possibility.

We were all thinking this Champions League lark was a walk in the park—until a bizarre night in Brugge.

It wasn’t ideal that the press box Wi-Fi kept cutting out every five minutes and that there were no television screens to show exactly what happened when referee Christian Gittelmann pointed to the spot just after the second-half restart.

But with Tyrone Mings bent down with his hand on the ball, it quickly became clear that he had seriously misjudged the situation. It was a terrible mistake, but equally, after returning from a long-term injury and performing well up to that point, I felt nothing but sympathy for his honest error.

Mings' story is one of fighting back and never giving up. So, truly, nobody should have written him off from playing a key role in this Champions League journey later down the line. But did anyone expect that it would come in the same stadium some months later?

In every journey, I’ve been so fortunate to cover our beloved club across the continent. I've met so many wonderful Villa supporters, as well as fans of the content we publish on BirminghamLive and Claret & Blue.

It's impossible to remember all the names (I try my best), but I can vividly recall being stopped in the backstreets of Sint-Andries for a selfie as I made my way over for Nicky Hayen’s press conference.

Five months later, I sat in front of the Brugge manager discussing the rapid starts Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio had made at Villa. That’s a prime example of how you should always expect the unexpected ahead of the transfer market.

But I don’t think anything will top my most surreal 'spotting' back in December, ahead of Villa’s fifth Champions League match at RB Leipzig. Indeed, it happened 35,000 feet in the sky, en route to Berlin via Amsterdam.

I was always quite a nervous flyer, but after taking around a dozen flights to cover Villa over the last two years, I don't mind taking the window seat anymore. Though, when the captain left the cockpit and made his way down the cabin, it certainly caught my attention. I was even more confused when he reached over and greeted me with, "Mr. Townley?"

I was put at ease almost instantly by a big smile and compliments about our podcast: Claret & Blue! Captain Phillips (not Tom Hanks) had taken 30 Villa fans from Birmingham to Berlin earlier that Sunday and enjoyed some fun with them before flying me over to the German capital that afternoon.

After noticing my name on the passenger list, Captain Phillips and I had a quick chat about Villa at cruising altitude before continuing our conversation after disembarking in Germany. He told me he’s from a big family of Villa supporters and braved Storm Darragh to watch Villa beat Southampton from the North Stand just the previous Saturday. It’s one of the few matches he can get to because of his work schedule.

After taking a couple of snaps with Captain Phillips, I met another huge Villa fan, Jonathan Collett, inside the train station. He kept me company as we made our way out to Leipzig, with two stops in between. We arrived at our first stop, Berlin Ostkreuz, with about 30 seconds to spare before catching our train to Sudkreuz.

Then, with just two minutes to get from platform 11 to platform 3, we managed to complete our whistle-stop tour of the capital before heading to Leipzig. On the way, Jonathan told me that his 97-year-old father has notifications turned on for BirminghamLive so he can keep up with his Villa fix.

It was the perfect time to head to Leipzig, not just because of the Christmas markets. The German side were in poor form, having lost all five of their previous league phase games.

With their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages hanging by a thread, Leipzig twice battled back from behind, but a late Ross Barkley goal helped Villa secure what was, at the time, their best away result in Europe under Emery.

Durán popped up with a typically outrageous strike to put Villa 2-1 ahead at the Red Bull Arena, staking his claim for a regular starting role. But that would be his last goal in the Champions League in claret and blue.

More on Durán shortly, but first, allow me to moan. Well, actually, it was my own fault.

Arriving in Nice late on a Sunday night, a quick scan on Google Maps told me that Monaco’s plush training centre was about an hour's walk from Monte Carlo station. I was determined to attend every press conference, gathering the best content and getting the full experience from the trips.

This one-hour walk around Monaco, however, was a huge mistake. And I still don’t know why, after 10 minutes of walking up a ridiculous gradient, I didn’t turn back and think better of it.

After 20 minutes of back-breaking hiking up the mazy Monaco hills, rain began to pour. Moments later, my network vanished. Stuck without any signal and time pressing before the press conference, I began questioning if my questions for Adi Hütter would be worthwhile after all.

Finding shelter in a deserted bus stop halfway through my journey, I pushed on until I reached the flat roads of La Turbie, about 50 minutes into the expedition.

The new shoes I had received for my birthday a few days earlier weren’t so white anymore—and, in fact, were bloodied at the back from rubbing against my heels. Shin splints and sodden clothes didn’t help my mood either.

After speaking with Hütter and Breel Embolo, I enjoyed every step of the way back down toward the bottom of Monaco. Once I got there, I rushed into another bus stop—not because of the rain (it wasn’t so heavy now), but because I had just received news of a derisory bid for Durán from West Ham.

Villa had a huge opportunity to almost secure their place in the top eight against Monaco but fell to a forgettable 1-0 defeat. Most memorable, perhaps, was the fact Emery's pressers were taking place next to a karate class. You never knew what would appear if you turned the wrong corner in the Stade Louis II.

What I also remember very clearly was Emery scowling in the post-match press conference. He was not happy with how Durán combined with Watkins, and the writing seemed to be on the wall for the Colombia international’s future at the club at that stage.

A stalemate with Juventus came between the two away games against Brugge and Leipzig, but that could have easily been another victory in front of the home fans. Morgan Rogers was denied a late goal after Diego Carlos made contact with goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio as he contested for the ball.

The final home game of the league phase was perfectly poised against Scottish champions Celtic. A win would give Villa a chance at securing automatic qualification for the round of 16.

Rogers got Villa off to a flying start, bagging twice inside five minutes—only for Adam Idah’s own quickfire double to level the score before half-time.

Ollie Watkins restored Villa’s lead on the hour mark, before Rogers completed his hat-trick late on, claiming the match-ball. But celebrations were put on hold for a few minutes, as Atalanta were still playing against Barcelona.

Villa Park held its collective breath, waiting for news of the full-time whistle at the Nou Camp. When it finally came, Emery’s side sat proudly in the top eight, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and Manchester City all looking up at them.

Before that final Celtic fixture, more transfer rumors swirled, threatening to derail Villa’s focus, as Arsenal’s interest in Watkins hit the headlines just hours before kick-off.

Watkins stayed put, but Duran departed. However, a late flurry of activity in the transfer window bolstered Emery’s squad immeasurably, with Asensio, Rashford, and Axel Disasi arriving on loan.

Permanent signings Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia were sacrificed due to UEFA rules, which stipulate that only three new additions can be made for the knockout squad.

A surprise result saw Brugge get the better of Europa League holders Atalanta, and Villa were drawn against their league-phase opponents, offering a shot at redemption for Mings at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

And how Mings played a crucial role as Villa left Belgium with a two-goal lead after winning 3-1 against Hayen’s side. It was his night, but this time for all the right reasons as he redeemed the error that had helped Brugge beat Villa a few months earlier.

At the time, Mings’ bizarre mistake—picking the ball up inside his own box—felt like a blow to Villa’s prospects of qualifying for the top eight, but now, he had rewritten history by playing a key role in Villa's first-leg victory in the round of 16.

After assisting Leon Bailey’s opener, Mings stood tall in the box, heading the ball away from danger and making countless clearances. His goal-saving clearance to deny Hans Vanaken was the decisive moment in the tie, and not just in the game itself. Without it, Brugge might well have gone on to win the first leg, completely altering the complexion of the game at Villa Park.

A trip to Barcelona could have been on the cards before the knockout draw was made, but after facing Brugge again, there was now a real possibility that Liverpool would await Villa in the quarter-finals.

That, however, wouldn’t be the case. Despite Arne Solt’s side leaving Paris with a 1-0 away victory, PSG proved themselves once again back at Anfield, winning 1-0 on Merseyside before defeating the Premier League champions-elect on penalties.

Back on the Eurostar for my first visit to Paris, the Eiffel Tower was a perfect backdrop for the pre-match walk and talk. My cameo on Sky Sports would have featured the Louvre if it weren’t for security moving us on literally 25 seconds before going live.

After the chat on Sky, big Villa fan Onkar and his mates—whom I’d met for the first time in Bern—collared me under the Arco de Triunfo del Carrusel as time ticked down to kick-off at the Parc des Princes.

There was just enough time to take in the pre-match atmosphere at the Frog XVI pub at the top of the Trocadéro, which offers the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding Paris landscape.

We had some fun with the locals, who filmed the sea of claret and blue beneath them from the offices above. But once one of them decided to print off a PSG crest and wave it out the window, chants of ‘Marco Asensio, he left because you’re …’ filled the air.

On the pitch, PSG showed their class again to recover from an unlikely Rogers opener. I later apologised to Garry Thompson for pushing and pulling him in the press box while he was calling the goal live on BBC WM! What a moment…

Nuno Mendes’ third goal was a sickener, but Emery quickly instilled belief in the post-match press conference that Villa were still in the tie and their job wasn’t going to change.

There wasn’t a seat to spare in those press conferences—both pre-match and post-match. Reporters from across the globe were in attendance at the Parc des Princes auditorium.

On the Friday after Villa’s 3-1 first-leg defeat, Emery was more settled back at Bodymoor Heath in his pre-Southampton presser, calling us reporters ‘family.’ Used to the global limelight in Paris and at Arsenal, he’s now found a perfect home at Villa.

He so nearly navigated Villa to an improbable comeback in the second leg, despite being four goals behind in the tie after Youri Tielemans made it 5-2 on aggregate before the break.

John McGinn picked the ball up inside his own half, dragged Villa forward, and fired at goal—his sublime performance rewarded with a slight deflection that took the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The Italian goalkeeper was PSG’s man of the match in the second leg, but even after Konsa’s goal to make it 5-4 on aggregate, Villa made enough opportunities to score a couple more on the night.

Villa Park’s power has been projected throughout the club’s impressive Champions League run. If it wasn’t clear before, it certainly is now. Never leave.

Even after smashing expectations in their first Champions League campaign under Emery, it feels like Villa have unfinished business in this competition.

When Villa return to the top table of European football, there won’t be a limit to their ambition.

What were your highlights of the Champions League campaign? Let us know here