STAYING UP WAS FOR MY LATE DAD, SAYS SMITH

DEAN SMITH dedicated Aston Villa’s survival in the Premier League to his late father. On May 27, the club announced Ron Smith had died aged 79 after contracting Covid-19. Ron, a Villa fan and former club steward, was diagnosed with dementia six years ago and had been living in a care home. Jack Grealish’s late strike put Villa — who spent £140million after winning promotion last year — on course for the win that would have guaranteed safety. Although substitute Andriy Yarmolenko levelled for West Ham, the point was enough to keep Villa up. Smith, who revealed he had been wearing a tribute during the match at the London Stadium, said: ‘It has been an emotional period. I lost my dad to coronavirus and I’ve got a “Holte Enders In The Sky” badge on in honour of him and he will be looking down on us, that’s for sure. ‘My family watched it together and they are immensely proud. It’s an unbelievable achievement, more than being promoted last season. ‘People had us relegated after we lost 4-0 at Leicester in March before the suspension, but we used the lockdown well. ‘We couldn’t keep doing what we were doing, we had to get better defensively and get fitter. They now look like Premier League players and it now looks like there’s a Premier League culture. It takes time.’ Hammers boss David Moyes would not be drawn on the future of Declan Rice. ‘It is right that Declan should get attention because he is a very good player, but anyone who wants him should get one of those steel vans with the cash in it. Otherwise he is not going anywhere,’ he said.