Jimmy Shan spoke of his pride at Aston Villa becoming Under-18 Premier League South champions – just days after celebrating FA Youth Cup success.
Mason Cotcher’s finish from six yards on the hour mark clinched a 1-0 win over Leicester City at Bodymoor Heath on Thursday evening - sealing the Young Lions’ impressive success as regional champions.
Victory leaves Villa two points clear of second-placed Southampton at the summit of the table, with a final match in hand remaining against Arsenal on Sunday.
Asked about the huge sense of pride among everyone in the dressing room, Shan replied: “Massively.
“The FA Youth Cup is a fantastic triumph and one we spoke about.
“But the league campaign is over 24 games and to be consistent with your performances, to be consistent with your results over that period of time, it’s a fantastic achievement.
“And to finish winners here with a game to spare is very pleasing.”
The full-time whistle sparked joyous scenes of celebration among staff and players alike.
It’s deserved reward for a memorable season which has seen Villa’s youngsters clinch the league title and FA Youth Cup within the space of four days.
Shan’s side lifted their first piece of silverware courtesy of an impressive 3-1 victory over Manchester City in front of over 25,000 fans at Villa Park on Monday.
And they will now face North champions City yet again in a national final for the U18 Premier League title.
Reflecting on the positivity of the league and cup double for Villa’s Academy, Shan said: “It shows the strength in depth as well.
“We spoke previously about the FA Youth Cup, you have the pick of every Under-18 player.
“A lot of those Under-18s who have dropped back down have been in the Under-21s, in the UEFA Youth League.
“I think someone showed me a stat the other day, I don’t know if it’s accurate, but I think we’ve used 33 players within our games programme in the league.
“That’s fantastic. It shows the togetherness, shows that everybody’s been ready, everybody’s played their part this season, which has been most pleasing.
“It’s echoed in the changing room there with the all the boys celebrating.
“You’ve seen how many boys were left out of the squad here, they’ve all come, got behind their mates and they’re all enjoying the success equally because they’ve all played their part.”
