DEAN SMITH’S return to Premier League football will be tinged with sadness.
The Aston Villa boss takes his relegation-threatened side back into action against Sheffield United tomorrow as they host the beginning of Project Restart following football’s lengthy Covid-19 lockdown.
But the enforced break from the game coincided with the death of the Villa manager’s father Ron who contracted coronavirus after being diagnosed with dementia six years ago.
Smith had spoken before of his dad’s condition.
But he opened up for the first time on losing him — and admitted his family had to wear full personal protective equipment to be with him as he passed away.
Life-long Villa fan Ron died last month aged 79, after testing positive for coronavirus four weeks before.
He was also a steward at Villa Park for 25 years and passed on his love for the club to his sons.
As well as being a regular at home games, Ron was also there to witness Villa winning the European Cup in Rotterdam in 1982.
Smith said: “He was in the care home when he contracted coronavirus.
“But he was asymptomatic and then, three days later, we had a call to say that he had been taken to hospital by paramedics.
“It was tough for my mum because she couldn’t see him for 11 weeks.
“But he ended up coming out to a nursing home and we were allowed to go and see him in our full PPE at the moment he passed.
“The timing is never good to lose a parent, but he’s probably in a better place now because he hadn’t been well for a long time.
“So it was one of those things you have to deal with.”
Smith spoke about his father after winning promotion to the Premier League last year in the Championship Play-off final against Derby.
Then he said: “Dad suffers from dementia. He doesn’t know that I’m Villa head coach. That’s probably the toughest part of it.
“I went to see my old man on Friday and he kept his eyes open for two minutes. I told him the next time I come to see him I’ll be a Premier League manager, and he smiled.”
Smith admitted his dad’s condition was no better ahead of the Carabao Cup final 2-1 loss to Manchester City.
He said in February: “I’m not sure I’ve seen his eyes open for the last month or two.
“Dementia is a tough illness. He’s suffering.”
Ron was often in charge of taking former chairman Sir Doug Ellis to his seat in the Trinity Stand.
But Smith knows he must now focus on trying to lead Villa to Premier League safety in crucial games that will be played at stadiums with no fans allowed.
Villa slipped into the bottom three and were preparing for a tough game against Chelsea when the coronavirus struck.
Smith has been given a lift by the return to action of Scotland midfielder John McGinn, now recovered from a broken ankle suffered against Southampton just before Christmas.
But the Villa boss hinted that McGinn may not be in the starting XI against the Blades.
Villa supporters will be desperate to see him combine with skipper Jack Grealish again.
But Smith said: “I have to manage him accordingly.
“It’s easy for me to go and throw him straight into the battle, knowing the sort of lad he is — but the players have had 14 weeks without a game.
“John’s had over six months without a game.
“He’s managed to get minutes in both the West Brom and Leicester games — but I have to be a little bit mindful of where he’s been and where he’s come from.
“You’ve got to build up relationships within that team to have a tight team spirit.
“Getting McGinn back is one of the benefits we’ve had during this pandemic and the pause in the season.
“He’s a top player but also a top character in that dressing room and gives everyone a boost by being the person he is.”
