The game was amazing. Talking with the lads before kick off, opinions on what the outcome would be were mixed - a draw being the most common prediction. I went for a 2 v 1 win and, believe it or not, no one predicted a 6 v 0 slaughter!

Villa started reasonably brightly setting up with a very attacking formation. Early on their tactic of the long ball over the top aiming to capitalise on Ashley Young's pace looked like it might reap some rewards. We looked threatening as we broke too, but when Steve Harper (who looked unsettled throughout the first half) gave away the penalty for a rash challenge on Young (who made the most of it, though it was a penalty to be fair), it looked like we would be chasing the game. Carew stepped up and lashed the ball over the bar – the miss sent the Gallowgate end delirious and all of a sudden our players looked even more energetic.

Three minutes after the penalty miss Joey Barton collected the ball outside of the Villa area, set himself and then absolutely lashed the ball past Friedel – brilliant goal. Notable mention to Super Andy Carroll in the build up to this goal – he flicked a header on from a long ball and then somehow managed to get on the end of his own flick on! A minute later we were ahead.

Villa continued to try the ball behind the back four approach, but by this point Colo and Williamson were wise to it and comfortably dealt with Carew and Young – whose frustration was plain for all to see. They also regularly tried to bring Albrighton into the game but Jose Enrique completely and utterly bossed him.

31 minutes in Jose went flying down the left and whipped a ball in for big Andy to head back across to Nolan who scored with a header at the second attempt. The crowd went absolutely mental.

Only a few minutes after that, the awful Richard Dunne miscued a clearance and Carroll showed a poachers touch to stab the ball into the back of the net to make it three. The lads who sit around me went into a fit of hysterics – unbelievable stuff and beautiful revenge for their supporters behaviour back on that day in May 2009. Little did we know we were only half way there.

At half time one of the lads in my row asked “Is it wrong that even though we are winning 3 v 0 at halftime at home, I’m still nervous?” which brought a few laughs – but that comment comes from years of having watched this mad football club playing.

Villa looked terrified from the off in the second half and we knew that there would be more to come. We didn’t grab the fourth goal until the 67th minute – great work from Williamson on the edge of the Villa area saw him chip the ball through for Carroll who again finished with ease, like any of the old great Newcastle number 9’s. “Andy Carroll, Andy Carroll, Andy Andy Carroll, when he gets the ball he scores a goal, Andy Andy Carroll” rang out from the Gallowgate end and Leazes Level 7.

Nolan added a 5th on 87 and just before the whistle, substitute Xisco slipped a nice ball through to the Bensham van Basten and he calmly put it away for his hat trick. His first start at SJP wearing the number 9 shirt, and he scores 3 – that is fairytale stuff for a Geordie lad. He didn’t just score 3 great goals – he won almost every header and played one or two superb long range passes. A real talent.

The most pleasing aspect of this performance was that every single outfield player played their part. Perch was much improved, Routledge ran Villa ragged and we dominated everywhere on the park. Faultless.

A lot of the media attention after the game has been based around how bad Villa were rather than how good we were (and another fictitious event that I’m not even going to bother mentioning here) – that suits me just fine. Let’s surprise a few more in this fashion! The team spirit that this squad clearly has appears to be better than any team I can remember us fielding. The relegation side contained a number of ‘Superstar’ players who are supposedly better than this crop – but they could never have competed with these boys as the spirit alone would have battered them.

We won’t get carried away as there is a long way to go, but this start will do me nicely. Add our new boy Cheick Tiote in to the squad plus (hopefully) one or two others and we have more than enough to stay up and build, causing one or two upsets along the way.

Sweet, sweet revenge. I wonder who Villa’s next messiah will be…..

Attendance: 43,546 (slightly disappointing?)

Harper 6, Perch 8, Enrique 9, Colo 8, Williamson 8, Smith 8, Barton 8, Routledge 8, Jonas 8, Nolan 8, Carroll 10