View From The Stands: Aston Villa

Two Villa supporters explain what keeps them coming. Carl Arrowsmith supports the women’s game in general and says Villa is in his blood; Mark Antony McLachlan started in April 2015 out of curiosity after seeing Joe Hunt’s match reports on the club website, took his eldest daughter, and bought a season ticket at twenty-five pounds. Their shared favourite match is the 2-2 draw with Bristol City at Sutton Coldfield, where Bethan Merrick equalised in the dying minutes and Natasha Baptiste celebrated her opener with the supporters. Merrick and Elisha N’Dow split their player of the year votes, and Katie Wilkinson is singled out as a role model. Both look forward to Doncaster and Brighton, and both supply chants, including one for N’Dow.