UK Edition
Dean Smith reveals pledge to his ill father: 'Next time I come and see you, I'll be a Premier League manager'
Dean Smith has revealed how he made a Premier League pledge to his father, Ron, before taking Aston Villa back into the top flight.
Smith has ended his beloved Villa’s three-year exile from the top tier to fulfil a promise to his father, who is in a home with dementia.
A matchday steward at Villa Park for over two decades, Ron’s illness means he does not even know his son is head coach of the club.
And after the win over Derby at Wembley, Smith said: "I went to see my old man on Friday and I managed to get his eyes open for two minutes maximum. I said, ‘next time I come and see you, I’ll be a Premier League manager’.
“He smiled, if not anything more. Hopefully there was an understanding but it's a terrible illness. For me, that was enough.
“The reality is just setting in. The last time I sat here I was not so good as we'd just lost 2-0 in the Checkatrade Trophy final with Walsall.
“Now I am sat here and we’ve won a play-off final and I'm a Premier League manager. It’s a little bit surreal.”
Villa finished bottom of the league when they were relegated in 2016 but Nassef Sawiris, one of the club’s owners, has insisted “the sky is now the limit”.
Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn scored Villa’s goals, resisting a late bombardment from Derby, who replied through substitute Jack Marriott, to ensure captain Jack Grealish lifted the trophy.
Grealish, like Smith, is also a lifetime Villa fan and has been backed to make a huge impact next season.
Smith said: “I've got a special connection with the lad, he's a Villa fan, he's been through a lot in his career so far.
“A lot of people's perceptions of him are him lying in a road when he was 17 or 18. He was thrust into the limelight as a young kid, but boy the kid has matured.
“I had no qualms giving him the captaincy, he's a great kid, and even if we hadn't gone up, it would have been tough to prise him away from this club he loves so much.”
Derby manager Frank Lampard was unable to end the club’s play-off curse and will meet with owner Mel Morris for crunch talks later this week.
Lampard has performed admirably in his first season as a manager, emerging as a genuine contender to take over at his old club Chelsea if Maurizio Sarri leaves this summer.
But he is facing the break-up of his squad with loan players Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Harry Wilson returning to their parent clubs while many others are out of contract.
Lampard said: “It’s very important we sit down and make sure we capitalise on what’s been a positive year by keeping moving forward.
“There is a lot of work. There is work in recruitment big-time for us to bring in players to keep the club moving forward.
“The talks are important for the fact of where we go. We are going to need to work on that to stay at the level we are and to try and push on.
“They are crucial on those terms. I got a taste this year of working with a really good squad who came close to doing something special.
“I have two years left on my contract, that is my only thought. We can’t compete with a squad of 13.
“The Chelsea noise is irrelevant. I want to continue progressing with the club, that is my overriding feeling, and it is important people understand that. A reflection of a day or two is needed.”