Player #823 for Aston Villa, Stewart Downing played as a winger for the club in 2009-10 and 2010-11 making 79 appearances and scoring 11 goals.

Downing was born in Pallister Park, Middlesbrough on 22 July 1984 and was signed by Martin O’Neill from Middlesbrough for a fee of £11,700,000 on 16 July 2009.

Downing was signed injured and as a result his debut was delayed for four months with him finally making an appearance as a 70’ substitute for Steve Sidwell in Villa’s draw at Burnley on Saturday, 21 November 2009.

O’Neill would name Downing in every squad (36) for the remainder of the 2009-10 campaign handing the winger 33 starts as Villa reached the League Cup final, an FA Cup Semi Final and a 6th placed finish in the Premier League.

For his part Downing struck 3 goals - his first league goals being a brace in Villa’s 5-2 win over Burnley on Sunday, 21 February 2010 - and developed a dynamic triumvirate with James Milner and Ashley Young as O’Neill developed one of the most exciting first XIs Villa had seen in recent decades.

O’Neill however would controversially walk out on Villa on the eve of the 2010-11 campaign and a series of mis-steps by the Villa hierarchy set the club on course for a half decade of drudgery and ultimate relegation.

The first step was a fire sale of the club’s best assets - some of which is alleged to have prompted O’Neill’s departure - closely followed by a series of poor managerial appointment commencing with Gérard Houllier in 2010-11.

Houllier - who manager to neither start nor finish the 2010-11 campaign in charge - once again made Downing a virtual ever present as the winger made 44 appearances and hit eight goals and created 7 assists.

Villa however had lost the impetus of O’Neill and the excellence of James Milner and the often drudgery like football under Houllier led Downing - along with Ashley Young - to see their careers away from Villa Park.

Sadly Downing chose to leave the club as the post Houllier exodus began. In truth of all the recent departures - Gareth Barry, James Milner, Ashley Young and Downing - it was the latter’s that seemed the most undeserved.

It’s fair to say that Villa saw the best of Downing’s club career and the player should probably have repaid the club’s faith in nursing him to fitness with greater loyalty.

However on the flip side - unlike with the transfers of Milner and Barry - Villa received fair value for Downing as he moved on to Liverpool for a fee £20,520,000 in July 2011.

Villa’s loss however was also Downing’s as despite significant transfer fees his career went backwards on the pitch before drifting back to Middlesbrough and into the lower leagues.