Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has revealed that the Villa players were joking about who would score first prior to facing Derby County back in 2008.
The year in which this happened is the famed season in which the Rams recorded the lowest points total in Premier League history, picking up eleven points, a record which stands to this day.
It was Derby’s first season back in the top flight after winning promotion via the play-offs the season prior.
They were managed by Billy Davies and Paul Jewell in a season that ended in a humiliating relegation back to the Championship.
Villa ran riot at Pride Park in April 2008, winning 6-0 in what was one of their best wins of that season. Agbonlahor revealed what exactly was being said before kick-off that day.
Gabby Agbonlahor: “Easiest game I’ve ever played in”
Speaking on The Sports Breakfast on TalkSport. Agbonlahor said: “When we played against Derby the season that they went down, they were that bad that before the game we had a little laugh about it – myself, Gareth Barry and Ashley Young – about who was going to score first.
“I was like ‘I’m scoring first’, Gareth Barry was like ‘no, I’m scoring first’ and Youngy was like ‘no, I’m scoring first’ – we all scored in the game and we won 6-0!
“It was the easiest game I’ve ever played in. Derby were that bad, Stiliyan Petrov scored from the halfway line with his weaker foot, Marlon Harewood scored and John Carew came on and scored as well.
“They were that bad and they went down with 11 points and it’s not nice for the fanbase because as that time it was quite embarrassing for Derby. They were like the whipping boys.”