Heir we go! Wills’s football thriller at Wembley
Scot McGinn in dreamland after header clinches Villa’s return to Premier League
WITH a place in the Premier League and a £170million windfall on the line, this football fan clutches his baseball cap as the tension becomes too much.
But the casually-dressed man watching the Championship playoff final between Aston Villa and Derby County was none other than Prince William.
The fervent Villa supporter punched the air at Wembley as his side sealed promotion with a 2-1 win. Wills, the president of the FA, was joined in the celebrations by former Prime Minister David Cameron and ex-Bank of England governor Mervyn King – also Villa fans.
JOHN McGINN was last night in ‘dreamland’ after scoring the £170million play-off final winner that promoted Aston Villa to the English Premier League. The Scotland midfielder was man of the match at Wembley as Dean Smith’s men held off a late Derby fightback to beat Frank Lampard’s Rams 2-1. Last summer, Celtic had dragged their heels in pursuit of then Hibs star
McGinn, who also had offers from English Premier League suitors. But his gamble not to hang around for a Parkhead move and instead drop down to the Championship with a £3m switch to Villa Park paid off in spectacular style yesterday. ‘I’m in absolute dreamland,’ grinned McGinn after his starring role in the richest game in football, which unlocks guaranteed broadcast incomes of £170m in the top flight. ‘It’s just a total dream, to be honest. I had the option of going to a couple of Premier League clubs last summer but they couldn’t guarantee me games. ‘So I took a risk and came to Villa, which is a bigger club anyway, plus they guaranteed me game time. ‘My decision has been justified as we’ll be in the Premier League next season. ‘Sometimes, you have to take risks. You have to challenge yourself. People maybe had a perception of me that I was just a hard-working player, just a runner. I’ve got a lot more to my game than that. ‘It took coming down to England to challenge myself against stronger, faster players to show I can offer a lot more. Hopefully, I can establish myself as a Premier League player with Aston Villa for years to come.’ Villa opened the scoring through Anwar El Ghazi in the first half before McGinn beat Derby keeper Kelle Roos to nod in a second. It proved decisive despite a late consolation for Derby deflected in by ex-Rangers striker Martyn Waghorn. McGinn, who grew up dreaming of scoring at Hampden and Wembley, praised referee Paul Tierney for not disallowing the biggest goal of his life. ‘I remember when I was training with St Mirren as a young boy, the Ralston training ground was my Hampden and my Wembley,’ said the 24-year-old, who won the League Cup with Saints and Scottish Cup with Hibs. ‘I’ve still not managed to score at Hampden but to score the winner at Wembley in the play-off final is beyond my wildest dreams. ‘I think I just wanted it more than their goalkeeper. Full credit to the ref for giving it because I think, in Scotland, the referee would have bottled it and given a free-kick. ‘But I didn’t foul him and when the ball went in it was the greatest feeling ever. ‘I’m just over the moon. I don’t know how I’ll ever recreate this feeling.’