A Little reminder of Villa's great days

You will not find anyone who wore claret and blue colours at Wembley, 20 years ago today, disagreeing with that viewpoint.

Villa's League Cup final win over Leeds United is remembered, not just for being the last time the club lifted major silverware, but for the style in which it was achieved. Rarely are even 3-0 wins so convincing. Rarely do such occasions arrive over the course of a long football career.

"There are not many days when you stand there with certainty and think, 'we are going to win this'," recalls Brian Little, Villa's manager and the mastermind behind the victory.

"That was one of those days. Everything went just as we would have wanted.

"We were miles better than them on the day, scored the goals at the right times. It all just fell into place."

How Express & Star sports writer Martin Swain reported on the game:

A peach of a performance gave Villa the sweet taste of an historic Wembley victory laced with the promise of even greater triumphs to come.

A record-equalling fifth League Cup triumph was every bit as emphatic as the scoreline suggests and, for the second time in three seasons, enabled Villa to claim the distinction of becoming the first English club to qualify for the next European campaign.

Opponents Leeds were outclassed, outmaneuvered and, frankly, out of their depth against a Villa team who have captured perfectly this season the demand for English football to move on tactically.

Howard Wilkinson's modus operandi still relies largely on the power play that has dominated for so long and Villa chose this, the first showpiece of the season, to expose it as the dinosaur of domestic football.

The fluent mobility and passing precision that has garnished their football all season thankfully did not freeze under the glare of the big occasion.

Despite their comparative inexperience, Villa played with a freedom and conviction and at times were able to starve Leeds of the ball with the arrogance of Don Revie's old matadors; the Leeds of 1996 simply had to concede second best.

The claret and blue half of Wembley was left in a state of collective ecstasy by the quality of this performance and journeyed back up the motorways wondering what other delights Brian Little and his players might lay before them.

Villa were relaxed, confident and convinced they could win their first trophy under the man who has so quickly assembled such an impressive team. The most exciting prospect is to wonder on what future big occasions Little will have ready for them.

The League Cup triumph came 16 months into Little's reign and during a campaign which delivered a transformation as dramatic as it was remarkable as Villa, who stopped up on the final day the previous May, enjoyed their most successful since the early 1980s. In a year of memorable afternoons, Wembley was unquestionably the highlight.

Villa's run to the final had featured wins over Peterborough, Stockport, QPR and Wolves before a nervy, semi-final triumph over Arsenal which was achieved on away goals after a Dwight Yorke double had cancelled out an early brace from Dennis Bergkamp in the first leg at Highbury. Little's team were in an FA Cup semi-final and still in with an outside shot of the Premier League title but the date at Wembley was never given anything less than full focus.

"I wanted to make sure we got the preparation exactly right, that was really important to me," explains Little, who persuaded the Villa Park hierarchy to get the team in his preferred hotel. "It was quite a way from Wembley, down in Croydon. But I'd been there many times myself as a player and it always made me feel good. I thought it would help our players stay relaxed. There were all kinds of rumours Leeds were watching us but as a group we just laughed and joked. The preparation really couldn't have gone any better for us.

"Even the journey to the stadium went well. For big occasions, your biggest concern is always about picking the team, but I knew what I was going to do."

Under Howard Wilkinson, Leeds' playing style was based on power and pragmatism and it was expected they would attempt to stifle their opponents.

Such a plan could not, however, have factored in Savo Milosevic, who chose the 20th minute of the game for his finest moment in a Villa shirt.

The striker had endured more than his fair share of taunts since a £3.5million move from Partizan Belgrade the previous summer, being cruelly nicknamed 'Missalotovic' by his critics. Such jibes rang hollow when the Serb collected a pass from captained Andy Townsend midway inside the opposing half and, from 25 yards out, unleashed a vicious, swerving drive which dipped over Leeds keeper John Lukic and into the net.

Stunned, Wilkinson's side looked for a way back but were, according to the Express & Star's Martin Swain, in his match report: "Outclassed, outmanoeuvred and out of their depth."

Nine minutes into the second half, Villa had a second thanks to hometown hero Ian Taylor, who rifled a left-footed volley past Lukic after Leeds had failed to clear. From then, Villa remained in total command, the only surprise being it took until the 89th minute for Yorke to add the icing in the cake when he fired in their third.

"It's strange how you look back at games sometimes but on that day I never felt we were in anything other than complete control," says Little. The only disappointment, looking back, is that Villa failed to build on the promise of that day. Less than two years later, Little had resigned, worn out by his efforts to integrate Stan Collymore into a team many felt was one piece away from being genuine title contenders

"I made the mistake of trying to play Stan, Dwight and Savo in the same team," he says now. "In hindsight, I should have just played two of them but the squad game we know now was in its infancy.

"If I could have climbed a tree and looked down, seen the big picture, I'd have known what I needed to do."

Regrets, of course, are part of life. Little can always console himself with the knowledge that, on March 24, 1996, he did what all managers desire but so few achieve, by watching his team deliver a performance of perfection on the grandest of stages.

Ian Taylor, who scored Villa's second remembers that special moment as if it were yesterday:

"It was a dream come true. It was weird, really, how it happened. Two years previously I had been in the crowd watching Ron Atkinson's team beat Manchester United and now here I was playing in the final.

"It was just a great season. We were a new team and we really hit the ground running, beating Manchester United in the opening game and taking it on from there.

"We played a different formation, with three at the back, to a lot of teams and it worked really well for us.

"There was a really good blend of experience, youth and talent and in the final, it just all came together. It was the culmination of all our hard work over the season.

"It was a testament to Brian Little. There had been a big turnover of players but he handled it really well.

"Before the game, he tried to keep things as normal as possible. Of course, that is easier said than done. I was thinking about the game and I seem to remember there were a few sleepless nights.

"I was always the type of player who would play the game out in my mind beforehand. You picture yourself making the tackles, scoring a goal. Of course, when you then go and do it, it's something very special."