Liverpool legend and Aston Villa coach Steven Gerrard has revealed that the Prince of Wales, Prince William, who is a lifelong Aston Villa fan, messaged the club ahead of their Premier League game against Southampton on Friday, September 16, 2022.
According to Gerrard, the Prince of Wales, Prince William, created time to send Aston Villa his message of support while he mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Recall that all English football competitions were called off last weekend following the demise of the United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch, aged 96.
The English Premier League resumed on Friday, September 16, with tributes to the Queen respectfully observed, in the two Premier League games that took place on the said date.
Every light was turned off at Villa Park on Friday, during the minute’s silence observed for the Queen, except for the spotlight on the Aston Villa and Southampton players at the center of the pitch.
The Premier League match between Villa and Southampton on Friday wasn’t filled with much excitement and action as either team struggled for 34 minutes of a drowsy game until Philippe Coutinho shot went over the bar.
John McGinn, Villa’s captain, admitted after the match that he would have switched the game off if he was watching it on TV.
However, the beautiful moment arrived for the host at the 41st minute towards the end of the first half.
Jacob Ramsey’s first-half winner sealed a feisty 1-0 victory over Southampton after a heavy strive by the host at Villa Park on Friday’s Premier League clash.
Philippe Coutinho’s far-post attempt header was saved by Southampton’s goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu but was pushed onto the bar, with the ball looping up, and Mohammed Salisu nodded it to Ramsey to blast it inside the net and made it 1-0 for Villa.
Aston Villa now climbed to 13th position in the league table after a second win of the season – and first clean sheet since April after defeating Southampton on an evening that started with a minute silence for the UK’s late Queen.
Aston Villa’s coach, Stephen Gerrard, openly appreciated the Prince of Wales for his backing message amid preparation for his grandmother’s state funeral on Monday, September 19, 2022.
Gerrard said: ‘He messaged in the week, to the club, and that shows everything about what he thinks of this club. For us to reward that with a result and clean sheet, I’m sure he will be proud.
‘It was along the lines of ‘would love to be there’. He is consistently in touch. He is very supportive of the boys individually, he loves them. It’s really impressive, his knowledge, and how much he is in to it.
‘It certainly took me back. He is very much involved in Villa. For him to message in the situation he is in is impressive.
‘Where we were before the game, in terms of our league position, it was about the result. It wasn’t pretty or stylish but was all about resilience, guts, character, and owning the pitch.’
