Mum couldn’t see dad for 11 weeks.. but we were with him in full PPE when he passed
SMITH ON THE AGONY OF LOSING HIS BIGGEST FAN The eyes of the world will be on us – it’s an honour
DEAN SMITH has revealed the heartache of losing his dad to coronavirus as he prepares to lead Aston Villa back into action tomorrow in the Premier League’s first match of Project Restart.
The Villa manager grew up supporting the club after being inspired to do so by his fanatical father.
Ron Smith was a lifelong Villa fan and also a club steward who went to Rotterdam for their 1982 European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich.
He suffered badly from worsening dementia and had been in a care home for the past four years. It meant neither Smith nor his mum were able to visit Ron for many weeks during the lockdown.
But they were both with him at the end in full PPE after he was returned to the care home from hospital after contracting Covid-19.
Smith, 49, said yesterday: “Timing is never good to lose a parent but he is probably in a better place now because he hadn’t been well for a long time, so it was one of those things you have to deal with.
“He was in the care home when he contracted coronavirus but he was asymptomatic and then three days later we had a call that he had been taken to hospital by paramedics. It was tough for my mum because she couldn’t see him for 11 weeks. But he ended up coming out to a nursing home and we were allowed to go and see him in our full PPE at the moment he passed.”
Not only are Villa involved in the first match but they were involved in the final Premier League game before lockdown, losing 4-0 at Leicester on March 9. They are second bottom but victory over the Blades – their game in hand over their relegation rivals – would haul them out of the drop zone with nine matches left.
“It is an honour, the eyes of the world will be on us,” said Smith ahead of the behind-closed-doors game.
The lockdown has coincided with the Black Lives Matter movement growing after the death of George Floyd in the USA.
Villa’s England defender Tyrone Mings subsequently attended a 4,000-strong protest in Birmingham and it sparked fears among Villa supporters that the star could expose himself to the virus and derail the club’s preparations. Smith said: “I wouldn’t necessarily say players can go and do what they want but if someone is passionate about something like Black Lives Matter – and it’s been in the news for everyone – then I fully support him for going and doing what he believes in.
“One thing I allow my players is the fact they use their common sense and social distance.
“There have been questions whether he asked for permission – he doesn’t need to ask me for permission to go and stand up for something that he believes in, just like my players don’t have to ask me for permission to go to a supermarket where there is as much chance of contracting the virus.”
Villa have influential midfielder John McGinn fit again for their remaining 10 games after he fractured his ankle in December.
“Getting John McGinn back is one of the benefits we have had during this pandemic and the pause in the season. But I have to manage him accordingly,” said Smith.