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Jack Grealish boots: Aston Villa captain's lucky charm in tatters after win over Derby
JACK GREALISH could be forced to abandon his lucky boots after they were left in tatters following Aston Villa's Championship play-off final win over Derby.
Aston Villa players celebrate Premier League promotion
Villa earned promotion back to the Premier League with a nervy 2-1 victory over Derby at Wembley.
Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn were both on target for Dean Smith’s side before Martyn Waghorn touched home Jack Marriott’s shot to set up a nervy finish.
However, Grealish and his men held out – potentially due in a small part to the Villa skipper’s lucky boots.
The 23-year-old has been wearing the same pair of Nike Hypervenoms since his return from injury at the start of March.
Grealish was handed the captain’s armband by Smith in the Championship match against Derby at Villa Park, in which the home side ran out 4-0 winners.
The English midfielder scored a screamer in that game and made the decision to stick with his footwear for the derby against Birmingham a week later.
Grealish scored the winner against the Blues using his Phantom III boots, sparking a run of eight more consecutive wins for his side as they shot into play-off contention.
By the time the impressive run was ended away at Leeds, Grealish had made the decision to keep faith with his bedraggled shoes and has worn them all the way to the play-off final.
And his threadbare Nike’s got plenty of limelight as Sky Sports picked up on the superstition during an interview after the final whistle.
“I came back from injury and obviously, these were like this [in good condition],” he explained.
“I got a few goals and I got a few assists and thought these were my lucky boots, I had to keep them!”
The worn-out boots are likely to be put away for good before next season, although it remains to be seen whether Grealish will be playing for Villa or a Premier League rival when he pulls on a brand new pair in August.