16/5/10
Villa triumphed at the HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens in Hong Kong for a record fifth time.
The young side - which included the likes of Marc Albrighton, Ciaran Clark and Nathan Delfouneso - lifted the trophy after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Glasgow Rangers in Sunday's final.
A classy 4-0 victory over the Yau Yee League Select side on Saturday set the ball rolling for Villa in the tournament group stages.
This was followed up with a 2-0 success over Eastleigh FC and a 0-0 draw against Sunderland, ensuring the boys in claret and blue topped Group B.
Dutch giants Ajax were swept aside in the quarter-finals, with two goals from Albrighton and one from Delfouneso earning Villa a 3-1 win.
Harry Forrester starred as Villa beat West Ham 3-0 in the semi-finals, scoring twice before Delfouneso slotted in the third.
It was Delfouneso and Albrighton who made the difference against Rangers, who were also runners-up in 2009.
The Scots went into the final without conceding a goal in the earlier rounds, but were stunned by Delfouneso's third minute strike.
Albrighton added a brace as Villa surged into a three-goal lead, before Rangers captain Andrew Shinnie hit back with a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
After the break, Shinnie - the tournament's top scorer with eight goals - added a superb second to set up a dramatic finale.
A frantic last few minutes saw Delfouneso and Forrester hit the woodwork but Villa had done enough to clinch the competition.
Academy manager Bryan Jones was delighted with the way his team executed their game plan.
"We had seen Rangers play and we knew they were very strong in midfield, Shinnie is an excellent player, but we felt we could get at them down the wings and I think it paid off," he said.
"I thought our wide players were excellent, especially Marc out on the right.
"Marc and Nathan have also been to the Soccer Sevens before and that counts because seven-a-side is completely different.
"You can play in the Premier League and still struggle in this form of football.
"They know how to play it and I think their experience told in the end. We think they've both got a great future in the game."
Albrighton admits Rangers made Villa fight all the way in the dramatic final.
"It was a great team performance," said the winger. "We made hard work of it but we got there in the end.
"Rangers beat us in the semi-finals last year so we knew they were a good side.
"After we went 3-0 up we got a little bit complacent but we saw it out and it was brilliant to get the victory."
Villa have now won the Hong Kong Sevens tournament four times between 2002 and 2008, and Jones said it is always an enjoyable experience.
"We've been coming here for eight or nine years now and we're so well looked after that we almost feel duty bound to bring one or two 'name' players to help bring in the fans," he added. "It's our payback to the organisers."
