Blues fan Joe Newell ready to risk embarrassment for Hibs victory over Aston Villa - 'there's one dodgy picture of me in a Villa top'

There is a lot resting on Hibs’ European clash with Aston Villa. But for some, there is more at stake than others.

While the clubs will battle it out over two legs for a lucrative spot in the Europa Conference League group stage, the result will have even greater significance for midfielder Joe Newell.

A Tamworth lad, he grew up an avid Birmingham City fan and is thrilled to be going up against their derby rivals but it is a match that has divided loyalties as both his fiancee Hannah and his best friend Liam are Villains and he knows that conjuring up a shock defeat over the English Premier League side could have embarrassing repercussions.

“I’d absolutely love it if we beat them. My missus is Villa, my dad is a Blue, my brother is Villa. It’s all over the place. But, there’s one dodgy picture of me in a Villa top when I was four and my best mate, who’s my best man later this year, is a [Villa] diehard, says it’s going to surface if anything happens over the next two weeks!”

Joe Newell is looking forward to Hibs' Europa Conference League tie against Aston Villa. Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group

His mate was one of the first people Newell thought of as news of the draw first broke while he was out on the golf course with team-mate Christian Doidge and the banter has been flying since.

“I was on my way to the golf course when it came out that we could get Villa and I rang Liam and said ‘it can’t happen can it?’ Then we were on the 16th fairway and Doidgy shouts over ‘Joe! We got Villa!’ It was brilliant, we were all over the place! Liam has been my best mate since we were kids. He’s a Villa diehard, a season ticket holder and sits with his dad in the Holt End. It will be a special moment for him watching me go out there against his team. Especially next week at Villa Park.”

This week, though, loyalties could be tested. “He is on his way up for the game. He’s staying with me .. and his dad! It could get interesting! We’ll probably have a curry after the game no matter how it went. Or, I could leave his suitcases at the door if they win but he’d knock the door down!”

Newell came through the Birmingham City youth system before moving on but he has retained a love for the club and having managed to score a couple of key goals already this term - including the one that proved the breakthrough against FC Luzern at Easter Road - he would love to add another against Villa. Provided he can get enough of the ball, high enough up the field against a visiting defence brimming with quality.

“It would be massive to score against them but I don't think I’m thought of as a goal scoring midfielder just yet! Obviously, it would mean a lot but if we win 1-0 and it’s Marshy who scores from a goal kick, it wouldn't bother me.”

A goal would give him bragging rights over his house guests, though. “The banter has been flying. Look Villa are a top side aren’t they? It’s been tough as Blues fans, for the last decade, to give any kind of banter. My dad was a Blues fan then I played with them from the age of seven which solidified it.

“I was at Wembley with my dad when we won the League Cup under Alex McLeish. That was definitely my best day as a fan. Getting the train down and then the game.. that was an underdog story too wasn’t it with Obafemi Martins scoring in the last minute after their keeper and defender got mixed up. But we got relegated that year too and it’s not been too good since!”

If the thought of pitting his wits against Villa was an incentive for the 30-year-old to produce top quality performances against FC Luzern, he wasn’t alone. For others in the side, and thousands in the stands, the prospect of renewing acquaintances with Hibs legend John McGinn has been mouthwatering.

“It was a carrot for all of us,” said the Leith club’s player of the year last season. “I genuinely think they are favourites for the competition. You look at West Ham last year and Villa are a better side than them. So, the Battle of Britain side of things and the McGinn element to it all meant it was huge for the club. We knew that going into the FC Luzern game. Personally, I just feel I have had a good year or two now in terms of consistency and over the summer I just tried to do what I could to maintain that consistency to my game.

"I know that a couple of games always add to that noise. So, yeah, I have been happy with my performances, as I have been over the past 18 months, really.”

But he understands the magnitude of the role he will have on Wednesday night as he fights for supremacy in the middle of the park.

“Naming names you can just keep going. I hope that can bring out the best in me but we can’t go into this with a fear, or looking at the stats about how much they have spent or how much players earn because at the end of the day, they are just 11 guys, playing on the pitch against our 11 guys. All you can do is your best and try your hardest. If you do that and trust in yourself and trust in your team-mates then hopefully something good can happen.

“We know that John will get a special welcome and so he should. He did amazing for the club, won the cup and spent a good few years here. Nobody can speak any higher of him. But, as soon as the whistle goes it’s down to business.”