CAN BOYHOOD FANS SMITH AND GREALISH KEEP ASTON VILLA UP?

When Aston Villa submitted plans to develop Villa Park to the city council this summer, it’s a wonder the architect’s drawings didn’t include statues of Dean Smith and Jack Grealish.

The four small words ‘One of our own’ can carry with them an enormous burden of expectation, as well as the huge dollops of support homegrown heroes are often afforded.

But as ‘two of our own’ Deano and Super Jack have teamed up to rise to the challenge – and then some.

These aren’t fans of the badge-kissing-just-for-show variety, of course. Smith and Grealish are proper Villa. Always have been, always will be.

Smith is the son of a Villa Park steward, who blagged his way onto the open-top bus as the club celebrated conquering Europe in 1982.

Grealish, a great-great-grandson of 1905 FA Cup winner Billy Garraty, is a former Villa season ticket holder and a claret and blue academy prospect since the age of six.

Sheffield United supporters will tell you that on its own the combination of fan-manager and fan-captain (Chris Wilder and Billy Sharp) is simply not enough – those club allegiances must be underpinned by quality, professionalism and desire.

Although neither man has ever made much attempt to hide his Villa affiliation, Smith and Grealish are most importantly a bright football manager and a talented football player, and both men deserve their chance to prove themselves in the Premier League.

Neither has gone about it the easy way, either. Smith made his name with shrewd work at both Walsall and Brentford, while Grealish was the second tier’s most fouled player last season, as well as being lamped by a Birmingham City yob and, bizarrely, cut above the eye by the play-off trophy.

But the big question is, can they keep Aston Villa up? If they do, they won’t achieve it by themselves. Smith’s manager of the month awards are always dedicated to those around him, and everything Grealish achieves is in honour of his close-knit family.

They will certainly be leading by example in the top flight, regularly looking to the galleries to acknowledge the fans they are proud to represent.

By restoring Villa to their rightful Premier League place during the remarkable march to play-off glory, manager and captain have already written themselves into claret and blue folklore.

Those statues will have to wait, though – these guys are in no mood to stand still.