Aston Villa 'always win' for 100-year-old great-grandmother

A 100-year-old woman has thanked Aston Villa for making her a guest at a game, saying she "could've gone through it all again".

Edith Punsheon saw the 4-0 win over Everton after spending four months in hospital and, as a surprise, met her favourite Villa player, Jacob Ramsey.

The family watched in a special box and her photo appeared on a big screen.

Mrs Punsheon, who lives near Cannock and watches Match of the Day every week, said Villa "always win for me".

Asked about meeting Ramsey, she stated: "Oh, he said 'you're coming again'."

Her daughter, Nita Punsheon, said: "He was... wonderful. He was lovely and he come and seen her and had a chat to her."

The 100-year-old, from Heath Hayes, Staffordshire, was 33 when Villa won the FA Cup in 1957 and aged 58 at the time of their European Cup glory in 1982.

Her daughter stated the club bought a cake and mentioned her "football-mad" mother in a tannoy announcement at the Premier League match on 20 August.

Edith Punsheon said: "Thank you very much Villa and I'll be there again when you invite me. Up the Villa."

Her daughter said the special day came about because a local woman knew the great-grandmother wanted to go to Villa Park and offered season tickets when she was on holiday.

"But mum... although she walks, when we take her out, she's in her chair, so [the woman] asked if there was any disabled access for her and this is how it escalated."

She also said her mother, who was 100 on 28 June, had had a fall, broke her pelvic rami and went into hospital.

"Unfortunately she got pneumonia, which they treated, and then she got double pneumonia.

"The treatment for the heart failure caused kidney failure, so when the treatment was changed... she started to pick up and then she got Covid."

Reflecting following the 4-0 victory, the 100-year-old said: "They'll always win for me. [If] they don't, I shall still love the Villa."

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