English Premier League

Picture the scene. Your club are in a European final for the first time in 50 plus years. There's 89 minutes on the clock and the attacker is clean through on goal. He has the composure to slot it away and the fans go wild. Limbs everywhere. For me, that sounds like a dream. But for West Ham fans, that dream became reality when they won the conference league title in Prague.

Since this competition's inception, I've seen many mixed opinions. Many, like myself, feel it's a brilliant opportunity for teams who may not normally have a chance at European football to not only experience magical away nights, but to have a genuine chance of bringing home a piece of silverware. On the other hand, many others regard it as either "a waste of time" or a "tinpot trophy". While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I'm here to share mine on why the conference league is not to be laughed at, and why we should take it as seriously as a competition.

As a fairly young Villa fan, I never got the chance to witness us conquer Europe in 82. I've watched the highlights and heard the stories, but I've never thought I'd be able to watch my Aston Villa play in Europe, at any level. Thanks to Unai Emery, this has now become a reality. I've been eagerly keeping tabs on whether or not we'll be seeded in the qualifiers and which teams would benefit us by losing. The only time I've come close to being this excited about being a villa fan, was promotion in 2019. Seeing the masses turn up on the final day against Brighton, welcoming the team like the title was on the line, it just goes to show how much European football means to a club like Aston Villa.

Those opposed to this competition may have arguements such as "it's too many fixtures" or "we won't win it anyway so why bother". To that I say, yes, It's a lot of fixtures depending on how far we progress. However, we are in for a very busy transfer window, so our squad depth should be improved by then. In addition to that, this would be a brilliant opportunity to see what our talented youngsters are made of. Furthermore, and I truly mean no disrespect to West Ham by saying this, but if they can win the whole thing, really, why can't Aston Villa?

The fact we are in a European competition, with a manager who is a serial winner of European trophies, to me, it seems like our best opportunity for silverware in years. Plus, winning it guarantees entry into the Europa League, Emery's favourite.

To conclude, if you still have any doubts about whether or not this competition is worth being in, I would strongly encourage you to have a look at the reaction from West ham fans and what it means to them and ask yourself one question. Don't you want to have that feeling?