Grealish says ‘it’s the best day of my life’ after scoring Villa winner in scandalous 1-0 win over Birmingham in which he was PUNCHED by fan
The Villa skipper was assaulted a by a thug who ran on the pitch but had the last laugh as they go above Birmingham and Preston into ninth place
JACK GREALISH hailed Aston Villa's second city derby win as "the best day of my life."
The Villa skipper literally got off the floor to score the only goal of the game after he was disgracefully assaulted by a Birmingham City fan who invaded the pitch in the tenth minute at St Andrews.
City say they intend to ban for life the fan who ran on the pitch at the Tilton Road End and managed to punch Grealish from behind.
But it was the 23-year-old who had the last laugh when he fired home the winner that sees Villa go up to ninth ahead of their bitter local rivals.
Grealish said: "It's the best day of my life. To come here for the first time, captain Aston Villa and score the winner - it's what dreams are made of especially for me being a Villa fan.
"I was just unaware at the time. I think we had a corner or a throw-in and I was walking into position and I just felt a whack around the side of the face.
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"There's rivalry in football but I don't think there is any place for that really.
"But I just tried to get on with my job in the end and I think I did.
"I scored the winner and we've come away with three points.
"In the past three months, I haven't really trained much.
"I've been thrown back in and I'm loving every minute of it being back with the boys.
"Hopefully I've given them a lift.
"To score twice in this game this season is lovely."
The visitors should have won it by more when Conor Hourihane hit the bar from Grealish's pass.
But Blues then wasted two glorious late chances when Villa old boy Craig Gardner, on as a substitute, blazed over the bar from close range before bulleting a header just past the post.
The win takes Dean Smith's side back within four points of the play-off places.