SMITH: FATHER FIGURED IN OUR SURVIVAL

VILLA V SHEFF UTD 6PM, SKY SPORTS

DEAN SMITH reckons his late dad was smiling down on Aston Villa when a Hawk- Eye howler rescued them against Sheffield United last season.

But the Villa manager says his side deservedly stayed up and is backing the big spenders to kick on as the Blades return.

Villa beat the drop on the final day by just one point last term but it could have been different had they lost their first game after the lockdown instead of drawing 0- 0 against the Blades.

Villa keeper Orjan Nyland had carried a Oliver Norwood free- kick over the line, but referee Michael Oliver did not receive a signal through his watch to indicate a goal.

Smith, left, whose dad Ron passed away this summer, said: “It was one of those one in a million things. The system had never failed before and it failed on that day.

“My dad had just passed away. His old steward’s jacket was in the Holte End and he had a thing about watches. So maybe he just wanted to play a trick that day.

“People can say what they want about the goal. We stayed up on merit. There were many goals chalked off which shouldn’t have been. VAR was contentious last season for us.”

Villa could hand top- flight debuts to £ 20million keeper Emiliano Martinez, £ 28m club- record signing Ollie Watkins, £ 14m right- back Matty Cash and £ 17m winger Bertrand Traore.

Aston Villa ( 4- 3- 3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; McGinn, Luiz, Hourihane; Trezeguet, Watkins, Grealish

Sheffield United ( 3- 5- 2): Ramsdale; Basham, Egan, O’Connell; Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; McBurnie, Sharp.