FORMER Brummie Stephen Sparks left the city for America 16 years ago - but he's renewed his Aston Villa season ticket every year since.
Now his dedication has paid dividends as he looks forward to a Wembley date next weekend.
He follows all the Villa games on TV and even met the squad at his The Mad Dog in the Fog bar in San Francisco - set up as a shrine to the team in 1989.
Stephen, 43, kept his season ticket for just one reason - in case Villa made it to Wembley.
He said: 'I was born in the year Villa were there last time and like most fans I've been talking about it for years.
'It's going to be very special for me and I shall be taking my dad. I've maintained a ticket for the sole reason that me and my dad got to see a Villa cup final. It sends a tingle down my spine.'
Stephen's bar has generated scores of extra Villa fans and about 200 American punters are expected to watch the final there on Saturday, even though he will be at Wembley.
'This is the Villa pub in California,' he said. 'A couple of American lads are coming over without tickets and they've followed Villa through drinking at the pub.
'But it is also popular with a lot of Chelsea fans.'
