Proper barmy. Proper stand on the back of the seat and scream to the sky barmy. I even hugged the teenager’s whose voice cuts through me like a Nordic wind when she screams obsenities two inches from earhole throughout the game.

I mean, 2-0 up against the mighty ManYoo. That moment was everything it is to support a team that are not world beaters. You go down and watch us lose games we should win, go away and see us let goals in at the death but when Barry Manilow scored after a sumptuous move it was perfection encapsulated.

It was all better because I was convinced we would lose, every time we hit the woodwork or Nosey failed to put his conk on a perfect cross the more I thought we wouldn’t score. But we did. Twice. And tore them apart for periods as well.

Of course after settling down I realised we were already in a battle not to lose 3-2. And we didn’t. With a team of kids and against full internationals. What a result. I for one was happy at the end of the game. We’d hung on.

Frodo Bannan has had a stormer of a week. Man of the Match on Saturday, brilliant first cap for Scotland on Tuesday, compared to Gordon Strachan, Archie Gemmell and Xavi on Wednesday and signed a new contract for the Villa on Friday. Not bad for a player put in the shop window at Blackpool last season by MON.

I for one am happy we have got Robert Pires sensationally stealing him from under the noses of Crawley Town. Ok he is past his best, of course he is, he wouldn’t be at the Villa if he wasn’t, but he is a winner. And it can be only good for our kids to play with a true winner. Let’s just hope the manager doesn’t go insane with jealously over his perfect hair and decide to humiliate him like the last time we signed a past his best Frenchman. But then again Houllier is no John Gregory.

Needless to say Pires has great hair, just like our first French player Didier Six whose short spell in the 1980s is still remembered fondly by women in their fifties across the West Midlands. The poor bloke never stood a chance, used to playing with the great Platini and Tiguna he pitched up in Aston and was told to first understand a word Nigel Spink said then expected to rub Gary Shaw's knee better.

Less than 24 hours after England were beaten by France a story surfaced on the BBC linking Benzema to the Villa. We’ve a French manager who likes his country’s star striker. Funny that. It wont happen but it was nice to dream for a while. A bit like when Doug Ellis used to offer two paper clips for Andy Cole just to get ‘Villa interested in star striker’ headlines.

But it’s Blackburn away this weekend. Anyone going away should wear their long johns that’s for sure. It could go either way but I’m putting my money on the Villa boys to come home with the spoils.

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