And so another season begins, but this time it's the Premier League - not the Championship.
Our opening game at Tottenham Hotspur sees us seize an early lead through a John McGinn goal as Villa put in an impressive first-half performance. But then Spurs pile on the pressure after the restart and sadly we leave 3 v 1 to the worse.
So now it's our first home game against Bournemouth and the excitement is palpable. The exterior of Villa Park has been smartened up with a fresh coat of paint, new badges and a huge photo on the North Stand that features Dean Smith and Jack Grealish clutching the Championship Play-Off Cup. Some things, however, remain the same. My son, Ben, makes a bee-line for the 'Bostin' Fish'n'Chips' stall and lunch is sorted.
It's buzzing inside the ground - a near sell-out crowd. The teams emerge to rapturous applause as the North Stand ticket-holders lift up a series of cards that come together in a giant AVFC mural. Sadly the feel-good factor doesn't last long. Tin Heaton, our new goal-keeper, concedes a penalty in the first minute. Joshua King steps up to the spot and before we know it we're one nil down.
Things go from bad to worse. A mistake by Douglas Luiz, our new mid-fielder, lets in Harry Wilson whose buzzing shot hits Tyrone Mings and deflects past the stranded Heaton. Twelve minutes in and two nil down.
The second-half is much more like it. Villa drive Bournemouth deep and a superb shot from Luiz sails into the back of the net. Sadly, despite attack after attack, Villa fall short. Two games, two defeats.
