Aston Villa legend’s shock Birmingham City confession

We’re giggling our way through a 90-minute Zoom chat and the conversation

turns to a Birmingham Evening Mail clipping in the former Aston Villa star’s scrapbook.

The cutting in question shows a teenage Hendrie – curtain haircut,

fist pumps and all – photo-bombing Ron Atkinson’s more measured celebrations after

Phil King has smashed in the penalty that clinched a

UEFA Cup shootout victory over Inter Milan at a packed Villa Park.

Still a relative unknown despite the hype starting to swirl around him back then,

the caption on the front page of the Mail from September 30, 1994,

the day after the night before, simply refers to Hendrie as ‘Boy Fan’.

“The delight reflected on the faces of physio Jim Walker,

manager Ron Atkinson and a boy fan caught the emotion of a

nation held enthralled by the match in a million,” it reports.

‘The delight reflected on the faces of physio Jim Walker, manager Ron Atkinson and a boy fan caught the emotion of a nation held enthralled by the match in a million’ reported the Mail

Knowing what we know now, that description vastly undersells a player who went on to make 308 appearances in claret and blue – but as we witness the youthful exuberance that still spills out of Henrdrie via Claret & Blue’s video link-up, ‘Boy Fan’ is absolutely bang on.

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Aston Villa legend’s shock Birmingham City confession

Aston Villa legend’s shock Birmingham City confession

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