Shropshire Star

Pictures: Villa fans endure the cup final

You have to say the better side won – but it does not make the defeat any easier to swallow.

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The players needed to have the game of their lives and pray for Arsenal not to turn up to lift the Cup. Sadly, neither of those things happened, writes James Fisher.

It would have been a huge ask for Villa to win and it was hard even before kick-off to picture Fabian Delph lifting the trophy, such has been the club's long wait for FA Cup glory.

The 58-year drought continues but at least the fans enjoyed a great day out, regardless of the result.

To put things into perspective, Villa were one of the worst teams in the league at the turn of year and staring relegation in the face.

A Cup final was far from anyone's imagination and Wembley almost crept up on us.

From nowhere the club was safe thanks to Tim Sherwood's revolution and then we all had another trip to Wembley to look forward to.

The semi-final performance against Liverpool was easily the best of season and it gave everyone a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, the side was capable of lifting the FA Cup.

The alarm bells starting ringing when we were hammered by Southampton and then put in another poor performance against Burnley.

Sherwood knew there was no momentum going into the final and it really showed on the day.

To make matters worse, two vital decisions also went again us, which probably would have had little significance on the end result but, perhaps, would have led to a more flattering scoreline.

From a fan's point of view, going to an FA Cup final is a great day out regardless of the result, and performing on the big stage is what this great club is all about.

Villa have lost their last three finals now – the FA Cup in 2000 and 2015 and the League Cup in 2010 – but at least we got there.

And the fans, as ever, were immense, cheering on their side right up until the final whistle despite the 4-0 scoreline.

Supporting a club has highs, and in Villa's case over the last few years, a lot of lows, but it does not matter because we all love our team no matter what happens.

Meeting in the town before getting the train to London, the atmosphere in Birmingham city centre was fantastic and there was real sense of camaraderie among all the fans.

Everywhere you looked there was claret and blue and some of us were even wished good luck by our rival fans who wanted a Midlands club to lift the trophy rather than a London outfit – but not all of them!

The fans congregated outside the ground, basking in the sunshine and enjoying a beer.

We were all in good spirits because we knew it was going to take one hell of a performance to overturn a class Arsenal side, who had decided to start playing some their best football just prior to the final.

The 5.30pm kick-off needs to be looked at because, other than catering for the international scene, it's ridiculous to play the game so late.

Despite all that, it was fantastic to finally get into the ground, pick up the complimentary scarf and flag, and sing along to Abide With Me.

There is nothing better than settling into your seat at Wembley, with the anticipation in the air that something great could unfold in front of your eyes.

Of course it did not work out that way and Villa were simply outplayed, out-thought and outmuscled by a very good Arsenal side who more than deserved their victory.

If the final was won with fans, however, it's safe to say Villa would be preparing for the victory parade while Arsenal would be licking their wounds.

You can't help but think that the price of tickets and the corporate nature of the final these days has taken the shine off the showpiece.

And it was strange to see the Arsenal faithful so quiet for the majority of the game. Some of the fans are, of course, diehard supporters.

I am sure there were sections that were singing just as passionately as the Villa end, but it did seem like some were there purely for the occasion rather than an undying love for their club.

But games are not won or lost by cheers and boos, despite what players and managers say. At the end of the day it all comes down to the team.

Villa just did not turn up on the day and it was heart-breaking to see the side systemically dismantled by a quality team.

The season has been another roller-coaster of emotions and looking back it has been one of the most memorable, even if the majority of it was for all the wrong reasons.

The club has really come on leaps and bounds in the last few months. After looking like certainties for relegation Villa have marched to safety and given the fans some fantastic days out along the way.

What we all need to remember, despite the 4-0 thrashing, is we are Aston Villa, we always will be one of the biggest clubs in the world and our time will come again.

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