We come with little by way of hope or expectation, our season effectively at an end following a run of miserable results. But then the rumours start. Jack Grealish might get a seat on the substitutes' bench after three months out with a shin injury. And then the shock revelation - not only is Super Jack starting, he's our captain!
The cheers are long and loud as the teams are announced and so to kick-off. Derby are a few places above us, but have lost their last three games. This could be a tight one.
We start well, pressing high up the pitch and putting together a string of well-placed passes. It comes as no surprise when we take the lead after just nine minutes. A beautifully flighted ball over the top from our newly installed captain is pounced on by Tammy Abraham. Scott Carson, former Villa keeper now in goal for Derby gets a hand on the ball, but it's not enough to prevent Conor Hourihane from scoring at close range.
Tammy Abraham is next on the score-sheet. That man, Hourihane, sends a delightful diagonal ball across the field to Ahmed Elmohamady. His super cross finds our star striker who nets his twenty first of the season.
The goal deluge continues. Hourihane nets his second courtesy of a pass from Abraham and then the pièce de résistance, two minutes into first half stoppage time. Glen Whelan sends in a great cross to Super Jack on the edge of the Derby penalty area. A sweetly hit volley into the top corner of the Derby goal and the crowd erupts in rapture!! Undoubtedly the finest first half performance this season for the Villa.
Whilst the second half lacks a goal Villa are relentless in attack. By the time the referee blows the final whistle the score could have been six or seven nil. An afternoon to remember at Villa Park, marred only by an injury to Tommy Elphick.
It's a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon and we're at Villa Park to support the plucky boys in claret and blue as they take on the recently relegated Stoke. A chilling wind swirls ice-cold sheets of rain across the ground. Hardly ideal playing conditions.
Stoke are well organised under the regime of new manager, Gary Rowett. They press hard and high, forcing Villa onto the back-foot much of the time. Half-time provides a welcome opportunity to retreat to the warmth of the stand and a hot cup of tea - the game still locked in a goal-less draw.
That doesn't last long. James McClean dispossesses a floundering Alan Hutton just two minutes into the second half and sends over a cross which is steered into the Villa goal by Joe Allen. It takes an inspired substitution and the introduction of a re-invigorated Jonathan Kodija to bring us to life. He wins a penalty, scored coolly by Tammy Abraham after a long wait.
Our joy is short-lived. At the other end of the pitch the lack-lustre Ahmed Elmohamady concedes a needless penalty, which is duly converted by Benik Afobe. Villa do not give up, however. With just six minutes to go Yannick Bolasie puts in a superb cross which is headed in by Kodija for the equaliser.
Not a great game by any stretch of the imagination, perhaps as a result of the inclement weather, but at least the unbeaten run continues. We just need to convert some of those draws into wins over the Christmas period to move closer to the play-off spots.
So much has happened since my last match report. Steve Bruce and his coaching team have emptied their lockers. In their place Dean Smith has been appointed as Head Coach, John Terry and Richard O'Kelly as assistant coaches, and Jesus Garcia Pitarch as Sporting Director.
In celebration I throw caution to the wind and lash out on a bumper set of M&S specials. Today sees me clad in my new 'lucky pants'. Surely, nothing can go wrong.
There is an air of anticipation at Villa Park, despite the fact that sadly it is a place all too familiar with false dawns. Dean has been in charge for barely more than a week, during which time many key players have been away on international duty. Can he turn things around? Is there still a possibility of promotion after last season's Play Off Finals heartbreak?
As a further portentous nod to ushering out the old and ushering in the new, the match against Swansea City is prefaced by a minutes' standing ovation for the late Doug Ellis, the controversial former owner of the Villa, who died earlier in the week. The nearside touchline is populated by the great and good paying their respects. Bizarrely, the assembled dignitaries obscure the view from the Doug Ellis Stand as Dean emerges to rapturous applause from the crowd.
And so to football. The first thirty minutes is very promising. Villa press high and hard, constantly forcing Swansea onto the back-foot and harrying their midfield. The reward comes just eight minutes in when Tammy Abraham heads home a delightfully weighted cross from Ahmed Elmohamady.
The second half starts with more of the same, but sadly Abraham fails to convert two further decent chances. Swansea start to come back into the game as Villa begin to tire, but some superb saves from the much maligned Orjan Nyland and a last-minute block by Neil Taylor see us through to only our fourth victory of the season.
At times it's not pretty and mistakes are made. That said, I much prefer to watch a team that takes risks and learns from mistakes than a team frightened to get things wrong. No-one in a Villa strip had a stinker today, and at least three players put on excellent performances. Abraham looks classy and his hold-up play, especially in the first half, is magnificent. Nyland keeps us in the game and keeps his first clean sheet. And the irrepressible John McGinn makes mince-meat of the oppostion.
All in all, a good day - and the 'lucky pants' will most definitely be donned again!
