Gabriel Agbonlahor aiming to raise £10,000 for the NHS by raffling ‘special’ Aston Villa shirt worn in Second City derby

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Gabriel Agbonlahor aiming to raise £10,000 for the NHS by raffling ‘special’ Aston Villa shirt worn in Second City derby

Three years ago today, Gabriel Agbonlahor scored his final ever goal in the Second City derby.

He always had a habit of popping up with vital goals against Birmingham during his career, and this one was a typical poacher’s finish.

He was in the right place at the right time to get on the end of a knockdown from Nathan Baker inside the penalty area, before swivelling and hammering the ball into the top corner.

It was Agbonlahor’s first goal in 14 months and was enough to earn Aston Villa a 1-0 win over their fierce local rivals, maintaining the now-retired striker’s record of never losing a league game against Birmingham.

But Agbonlahor is now parting with one of his most prized possessions, as the former Villa ace is raffling off his match worn shirt from that game to raise money for the NHS to help them battle the coronavirus pandemic.

The 33-year-old knows only too well how serious the virus can be, as he recently battled COVID-19 himself; he told talkSPORT earlier this week how former Villa teammate Stiliyan Petrov helped him get over ‘one of the worst things I’ve been through’ by leaving vital supplies on his doorstep.

And now Agbonlahor wants to give back by raising £10,000 for the NHS.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, he said: “I scored a lot of goals against Birmingham City, but this one meant a lot to me because I’d been through a little bit of a rough patch at Aston Villa.

“I just knew I was going to score in that game as it was just written, and when the chance came I just remember putting the ball in the back of the net.

“It was one of the special ones for me and that’s why I thought it would be nice to give that shirt away.

“I’ve already donated some money to the NHS, but I just thought, ‘what could I do?’, and what sort of shirt or boots would Villa fans want to win? I was sitting there thinking and I thought, ‘what about the derby shirt?’.

“It was my last derby, I scored in the game and we won 1-0 and I thought it would be something Villa fans want to win.

“I want the money to go to the NHS, but I want to speak to some people at Aston Villa as well because I want to make sure the money makes a difference. If that’s going to the NHS, I hope it can help them get some machines and help the local hospital. The job the NHS are doing is just good for everyone to support and I just think other players that have seen me do this will do the same thing.”

Villa were, of course, Agbonlahor’s boyhood club and barring brief loan spells at Watford and Sheffield Wednesday, he spent practically his entire career at Villa Park, making over 350 appearances.

He even remained loyal to Villa when others tried to force him out, refusing to join Reading or Rangers when Roberto Di Matteo said he was not part of his plans.

Being ‘one of their own’ meant the striker was instantly taken to heart by the Villa supporters, but his record against Birmingham gave him cult hero status, with Agbonlahor hitting five goals in ten Second City derby appearances.

Games between Villa and Birmingham have always been played in a raucous atmosphere, which has unfortunately spilled onto the pitch on occasions, and Agbonlahor feels the rivalry between the two sides makes it one of the biggest derbies in the United Kingdom.

“The only derby that there’s maybe more rivalry is Celtic vs Rangers,” he adds. “But after that, Birmingham vs Aston Villa is a lot bigger than Man United vs Man City, Man United vs Liverpool, Everton vs Liverpool, Spurs vs Chelsea, Spurs vs Arsenal etc.

“There’s no comparison to be honest. Anyone who has played in those games can tell you that.

“Every league game I played against them I didn’t lose, because I knew that you can’t lose this game. It’s simply not an option because you can’t go round the city and it’s not good for your friends and family.

“The atmospheres at Villa Park were amazing, but the atmospheres at St Andrew’s were even more crazy because you’re in the Colosseum; you’re not wanted there, you’re the enemy, and when you’re on the coach to the game, you’re getting things thrown at the coach and when you’re coming off the coach, you can feel the tense atmosphere around the ground.