Credit: Imago/AVFC.co.uk

Cameron Smith

Wed 27 May 2026 12:10, UK

Aston Villa have been reminded just how far they have come in recent years on the anniversary of their play-off victory.

Since returning to the Premier League in 2019, the Villans have continued to shift through the gears in the top flight.

Although the early years were not the easiest, the sleeping giant has awoken, with the Midlanders now competing at the top end of the division, backed by sky-high ambitions.

Unai Emery joined in 2022 and has played more than his part in their recent progress, with his side lifting the Europa League in Istanbul last Wednesday.

Looking back, their current success both on and off the pitch stems from one monumental day at Wembley.

Playoff anniversary is a big day for Aston Villa

Following their relegation to the Championship in 2016, the Villans initially struggled.

Finishing in the mid-table region in their first year, they would make the play-offs the following year, before Steve Bruce’s side were undone by Fulham under the arch.

In the 2018-19 campaign, Villa started woefully, resulting in the sacking of Bruce just a few months into the season.

In came boyhood Villan Dean Smith, who had his own fair share of struggles at first.

However, his side improved as the season went on, especially following Jack Grealish’s return from injury in March 2019.

After securing 10 consecutive victories before the end of the season, the Villans made the play-offs, with local hero Grealish wearing the armband.

Having beaten local rivals West Brom in the semi-finals, Smith’s side then avenged their loss from a year earlier.

John McGinn and Anwar El Ghazi scored in a 2-1 win against Derby County at Wembley, with Villa holding on in the dying moments after Jack Marriott halved the deficit.

With Tammy Abraham scoring for fun, Grealish proving talismanic, and McGinn doing what he does best – adapting seamlessly to every level he has played at – the Villans surged back into the Premier League.

And, as McGinn noted before the recent Europa League final, this modern-day success is a reward for those who were there for that promotion run, while those who helped lay the foundations for what followed deserve every bit of credit.

Where would Aston Villa be without promotion?

Had the Midlanders not achieved promotion that season, the financial consequences could have been catastrophic.

During the 2018-19 season, the club’s wage bill stood at £95million, resulting in an unsustainably high wages-to-revenue ratio of 175 per cent.

At the same time, a £68.9m loss was reported, almost double the £36.1m recorded the previous year.

Had promotion not been secured, and Villa Park not been sold to a company owned by Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, the consequences do not bear thinking about.

Now, the Villans find themselves in a position unimaginable at that time.

After winning promotion, astute recruitment helped keep the side in the division, while Grealish carried over his stunning form – ultimately earning a British-record £100m move to Manchester City in 2021.

Stalwarts of the current team, including Ollie Watkins, Matty Cash and Emi Martinez, arrived over the following years, as the Midlanders gradually rebuilt after avoiding relegation on the final day of the 2019-20 season – a campaign that could have ended very differently had it not been interrupted.

Now Aston Villa are back among the clubs pushing for European football and more – and it all traces back to 27 May 2019, the day that secured their future as a top-flight side.