Villa - Skippers Pride

Gareth Barry spoke of his pride being Villa captain yesterday telling the official site:

'I was delighted to have the armband today and win in front of our home fans. The first-half was difficult. I think they had most of the play and they were probably a bit disappointed to go it at half-time level. In the second-half we showed our quality and I think the whole team passed the test with flying colours.'

Adding, in a nod to the fantastic atmosphere:

'It's great for the players to play in front of such a noisy crowd. It really was like having an extra man. Even coming out for the warm-up, you could tell how much it meant to the fans.'

He also says the players can relax a bit more now as we are all but safe.

'We can go into the Wigan game a bit more relaxed, but not too relaxed. We want to make sure we can finish as high up the league as possible.'

Barry might not have been the captain this season, but he has certainly led by example. I'm convinced we would be in far more danger of relegation if he hadn't been so consistent. Maybe should be the permanent captain?

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