Player #865 for Aston Villa, Grant Holt played as a centre forward for the club in Villa’s 2013-14 Premier League campaign making 10 appearances and scoring once.

Holt was born in Carlisle on 12 April 1981.

Paul Lambert had signed Holt on loan from Wigan Athletic in January 2014. Holt arrived overweight and unable to get a game at Championship side Wigan. Such a curious signing was rendered more understandable when viewed in the context of Holt’s previous relationship with Lambert at former club Norwich City and his presumed role as a ‘trusted lieutenant’ in the Villa dressing room.

Given the bewildering nature of Lambert’s reign at Villa nothing could be ruled out however the signing made little sense, and indeed increased the pressure upon the oft pilloried manager for his incoherent ramblings, team selections, signings and performances. Paul Lambert was resolutely not a leader and had previously surrounded himself at Villa with those who he believed were. In that context Holt’s signing must have made sense to one man alone.

Holt made his debut as a 49’ substitute for Gabby Agbonlahor in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Liverpool on Saturday, 18 January 2014. Lambert would go on to name Holt in every Villa squad to the end of the season with the robust centre forward making seven appearances from the bench and three starts in seventeen games.

Holt scored his only goal for Villa in the 1-2 defeat to Fulham at Villa Park on Saturday, 5 April 2014 as a Holt equipped Villa side under Paul Lambert lost 7 of their last 9 Premier League games in the 2013-14 season, scoring 7 and conceding 23.

Holt made his final appearance for Villa on Saturday, 26 April 2014 aged 33 in the 1-4 defeat at Swansea City before returning to Wigan Athletic in May 2014.