Family pride at stake as Gardners go head-to-head

Despite the broken family heirlooms and disgruntled neighbours, the parents of Gary and Craig Gardner will feel an immense sense of pride at Villa Park tomorrow.

The pair will be watched by mum Sharon and dad Gary snr, along with their other four brothers as they go head to head for the first time in the midfield battle for Villa and Sunderland.

And Villa's Gary revealed it was inevitable the three-on-three matches between the six Gardner brothers – who were equally split down the middle as Villa and Blues fans – would occasionally land them in hot water.

"All the neighbours used to complain when we played football in the street as kids but when we see them now, we always laugh about it and they say hopefully it has paid off for us," said the 19-year-old.

"When my mum and dad went out we'd have been down the park all day and when we got back we'd even play football in the living room. When they came back all the windows would be steamed up and the ornaments would be upside down.

"They knew we'd been playing football but they knew how mad we were for playing football. It was 24/7 football. We would break ornaments playing football and my dad used to go mad, although we'd try to glue them back together.

"They knew when they came in and we were all sweating, the windows were steamed up and the furniture was all re-arranged, there was a fair chance we'd been playing football. And once they spotted the breakages they definitely knew what we'd been up to then."

As families go, the Gardners were clearly football mad, although Gary revealed it was his mother Sharon rather than his father who passed down the genes on the playing front.

"It was my mum who was the good footballer as it happens! When she was younger she was always good and I think we all got our ability from our mum," he explained.

"When she was growing up it was the lads who used to knock on the door asking her to come out and play football, so I think our mum is where we all got it from.

"There was even a local 5-a-side tournament round the corner from where we lived and we entered a team called 'The Gardners'. Craig and I couldn't play but the rest did. We had a good five-a-side team and we won it a few times. I think my Mum was the manager! Mark was a useful player who played semi-pro football for Solihull Moors. Terry was at Tamworth and Richard was on trial at Walsall. It's not just one or two of us, every one of us loved the game.

"Now my parents just follow football and if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be where we are today.

"They don't support a team, they support us as a family.

"It is going to be a proud moment but that's not the main thing. The main thing is getting three points for Villa. We need the points. It will be a proud moment for the family but I've got to concentrate on winning the game."

Although any sympathies towards his sibling Craig will go out of the window tomorrow afternoon, Gary admitted he would love to form a midfield double act with his brother again in the future.

"I'd definitely love to be bracketed with these guys one day. You have to aim high.

"If you're not trying for that, what's the point in playing? Gary and I want to play together at the highest level," added the teenager.

"If that could be for England one day, that's what Craig and I will push for. We're the type of lads who will work hard towards that.

"We're dedicated enough to get there. So we'll continue to work hard and, hopefully, one day we'll get the chance to play together for England.

"To play against him is a different thing because you want to tick that box that you have played against your brother.

"Obviously that would be a dream to play alongside Craig but at the moment he is a Sunderland player and I'm a Villa player so the main thing is we take the three points against them."