My First Hero: John Carew

Words by Andrew Maddox

John Carew, Carew. He’s bigger than me and you. He’ll score you a goal or two. John Carew, Carew.

This was the song that would echo around Villa Park to serenade their powerful Norwegian hitman. John Carew was a fantastic striker who had a genuine love for the club and the fans and he made me fall in love with the game.

I first saw Carew in my first Villa match, a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in December 2007. It was the Scandinavian that scored Villa’s goal in the match and I was caught up in the adulation the Villa fans had for Carew. I instantly saw his quality, but it wasn’t until the 5-1 demolition of Birmingham City in April 2008 when I truly fell in love. The iconic image of Carew lifting a ball boy aloft after he netted Villa’s second of the game is undoubtedly the defining image of his time at Villa Park. It is something that’s never left my mind as the collective Villa memory.

He fit perfectly into Martin O’Neill’s 4-4-2 system. With Ashley Young on the left wing, he had exceptional service to smash home from inside the box. However, he was a much more creative player than he was ever given credit for. He never had pace, so he would use his build and power to unleash Gabby Agbonlahor to use his raw pace to terrorise Premier League defences. They were the perfect duo, even when it came to less professional conduct.

In 2008, John Carew was caught in a Birmingham gentleman’s club and was dropped from Villa’s UEFA Cup squad. In a press conference, Agbonlahor questioned why Carew chose that specific club and stated that there are better ones in the city. The moment was so ridiculous and the duo had such a close connection with the fans that they only endeared themselves further with the club.

Carew is a striker who always flies under the radar of most Premier League fans. He’s mainly remembered as a journeyman that never really settled until he arrived at Villa Park in 2007. Villa were the seventh of his nine clubs and his years at Villa were easily his best. However, he is still fondly remembered by Norwegian football fans for his 91 appearances and 24 goals for his country,

These days, he’s more of an actor than a football star. He had his first role in the 2014 horror film ‘Dead of Winter’ and most recently appeared in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in a supporting role. He is also seen at Villa matches with good friend and fellow Villa fan Prince William.

In essence, Carew had a fantastic relationship with the fans, was a lethal finisher and easily made my young self fall in love with football and Aston Villa.