Tony Daley: “I was always going to play for Aston Villa”

He turned down Birmingham, took the bus with fans to his own game, and became one of Villa’s fittest ever players Tony Daley’s story has it all.

In this episode, Alan McInally and Kate Tracey sit down with Villa legend Tony Daley to relive the journey of a player who went from the Holte End to the pitch and lived every dream he had as a kid.

Dales opens up about being the youngest of seven, getting kicked around in street games, and the moment he refused to join Birmingham because Villa was his “be all and end all.”

He talks pre-season obsession, why he always wanted to be the fittest in the squad, the surprising reason his mum pulled him out of football, and the driving force behind his return to the club as an ex-pro.

From his debut against Southampton to taking the bus with Villa fans for his second game, runners-up medals, Inter Milan memories, failed transfers, Graham Taylor’s influence and the camaraderie that defined Villa’s success.

There’s the master’s degree in Sports Science, the unique insight it gave him inside elite dressing rooms, cup finals, favourite goals, and the pride of representing England.

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