May 27th will be remembered for when we returned to the top-flight after a 3-year absence following a resounding victory over Derby County in the Championship Playoff Final.
From such a high, there was a new low the next day. Supporters were horrified to see video footage from the Monday showing a coach, full of Derby County fans on the way to the game, being hit with bottles and cans outside the ‘Green’.
Dave Jordan, a Trust member, set-up a giving page and raised over £8,000 to compensate supporters for ‘a mindless few’ ruining their trip to Wembley.
There was also damage to the coach. So the Trust committed to donating £400 to Ridleys Coaches. This was to help in part compensate the company in getting their coach back on the road. Plus proceeds from Emma Flowers’ single Walking with McGinn – £150, went towards putting things right with Ridleys.
Rebecca Ridley, Director at Ridleys recently confirmed receipt of the donations and commented: “it has gone a long way to restoring our faith in the true Aston Villa fans”.