By Dave Woodhall.

You can always guarantee two things for the last day of the season; the sun will shine, and events at your game will be less interesting than what’s happening everywhere else.

Villa v Liverpool was always going to be of secondary interest to events elsewhere, and at White Hart Lane in particular. I know it’s sad and childish to gloat at your neighbours’ misfortunes, but that’s football.

Anyway, at the game I was half-watching, Villa and our not-famous-anymore visitors put on what would probably have been in other circumstances an exciting end to end finale to the season. Much of the first half seemed to have more than the usual number of players going down injured, including Jamie Carragher going off to re-emerge wearing a blood-soaked headband and Fabien Delph, who was replaced by Marc Albrighton after 28 minutes. It’s been a frustrating season for Delph, who got over one major injury only to suffer a couple more niggling ones, but five minutes later his replacement put over a cross which James Collins and Darren Bent seemed to mess up for each other only for the ball to fall to Stewart Downing to lash home – more of that later.

The second half had plenty of action in both goalmouths. Brad Friedel made a couple of world-class saves while Bent and substitute Gabby Agbonlahor could have both scored for Villa. Villa’s oft-maligned defence was also performing well, with Collins particularly impressive. While all this was going on, thoughts were turning to the drama unfolding everywhere from Old Trafford to White Hart Lane. Blackpool were winning, then Spurs got their first goal, leading to the biggest cheers of the day at Villa Park. Wigan scored, Blues equalised, and with five minutes to go Wolves pulled back the goal that would see them safe.

Part-timer that I am, I was off before the end of the game, leaving Villa Park just as Ashley Young left the pitch, although there’s more chance of me returning in August.  I heard a lot of cheering from outside, which I took to mean Blues had gone down thanks to that Wolves goal. Some time after the final whistle, in amongst the general celebrations on Witton Lane, I found out that Spurs had got a winner in stoppage time. A bit later I finally found someone who could tell me that we’d won, and kept a clean sheet into the bargain, which meant Liverpool failed to get into Europe for the first time this century.

Then, to round off a fine afternoon, Albion had equalised at Newcastle, Villa finishing ninth in the table as a result. As I’ve been saying ever since, Downing’s shot took us up five places, which meant almost £5 million in extra prize money. For all the trophies we’ve won over the years, in financial terms that single goal is the most valuable in the club’s history.

It could also have proved significant for bookmakers and in all manner of side bets. Villa have finished top side in the Midlands, which means nothing in the greater scheme of things, and in the top half of the table, which could have earned me a few quid when I offered the bet to a ‘friend’  after we’d lost to Sunderland in January. This so-called ‘friend’ refused to take it even though he’d come out of the match even more pessimistic than I was at that point.

And so the season ends on a high note. There’s no point in saying it’s been anything but poor but there are definitely promising signs. We’ve got the best goalscorer England has to offer, a couple of other new signings who could become stars next season and a conveyor belt of young talent. With the management situation sorted out quickly the summer could be very interesting.