That ten-game winning run. That save against West Brom. That stare. Those penalty heroics. That Wembley win.
Jed Steer will forever be remembered by Aston Villa fans for his contributions in claret and blue, with his cult hero status secured when he helped restore the club to the Premier League in 2019.
The goalkeeper, who signed for the club back in 2013 when he left Norwich City, will depart this summer after ten years as a Villan.
Steer sat down with club media for the final time this week to reflect on the major moments of his decade at Villa.
“It’s been amazing. I joined the club ten years ago in 2013 as a 20-year-old boy and I leave here as a 30-year-old man,” he said.
“To see the club come from where it was in 2013 to where it is today has been a massive change. It’s been a brilliant ten years full of ups and downs.
“Did I ever think I was going to be here for ten years? Absolutely not, but I am, and it’s been great.
“When we got into the play-offs four years ago, we worked hard to finish sixth in the Championship. Fast forward four years and we nearly finished sixth in the Premier League. That’s how far this club has come in the last few years.
“It’s testament to the owners and the players and staff that we have here. It’s been an amazing four years.
“I really look forward to watching Aston Villa in the future and being a big Villa fan. Hopefully one day I can come back and play at Villa Park and see everyone again.”
Steer’s early Villa career was defined by several loan spells as he gained experience at Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town and Huddersfield Town.
Having started for Villa in the first Championship game of the 2018/19 campaign, the ‘keeper joined Charlton Athletic on what was due to be a season-long loan.
However, after an injury to Ørjan Nyland saw him recalled in January, Steer was back in the team when another injury, this time to Lovre Kalinic, opened the door for him.
What happened next was a club record ten wins in a row, a streak that included five clean sheets, as Villa stormed up from 13th to gate-crash the play-offs and finish fifth.
Steer said: “It was special. We had a great team. It was about putting us together and making us play as a team and that’s what Dean Smith and the coaching staff managed to do.
“I remember looking at the fixtures with 11 games to go and working out a points-per-game total that the top six pick up and what we were going to have to do to get into the top six.
“I worked out that we were going to have to win at least ten games. I thought that was a big ask. After the game against Nottingham Forest, I remember having a chat with Jack Grealish and he said, ‘We’re going up here.’
“That belief just spiralled and kept going. We ended up winning all those games. When we won the tenth, it was great to set history.”
Local rivals West Bromwich Albion were waiting in the play-off semi-finals, with Steer excelling across two hard-fought matches.
In the first leg at Villa Park, a stunning save to tip Jay Rodriguez’s shot onto the crossbar helped lay the foundations for a 2-1 win before a 1-0 loss at the Hawthorns took the tie to penalties.
The clip of Steer walking stride for stride with Mason Holgate towards the penalty spot, all while staring at the penalty taker, has become iconic among the club’s fanbase.
Even more so after he saved two spot kicks to secure Villa’s place in the final at Wembley.
What ensued under the arch gave Steer the best moment of his time at the club.
“People say it’s the best way to get promoted via the play-offs and it really was an unbelievable day,” he reflected.
“I remember waking up early – I can never lie in on a matchday – opening my curtains outside Wembley, looking down and seeing claret and blue everywhere at 8 o’clock in the morning.
“A lot of us had been there the year before and knew what the occasion was about, the build-up and the media on the game, and that helped.
“We got the first two goals and then when they scored with ten minutes left, I thought, ‘Surely not!’ The game had been fairly comfortable for us.
“Thankfully we held on, and when that final whistle went it was an unbelievable feeling. I’d say it was the best feeling I’ve had in a Villa shirt, that final whistle going and knowing that we’d done it.”
Steer signed a new four-year contract following promotion but was injured just eight minutes into his only Premier League appearance that season.
Injuries have continued to hamper the goalkeeper during his final few years at the club, but he’ll always have fond memories of his time as a Villan.
“The last few years, it’s been a rough ride with the injuries,” he said.
“That happens unfortunately, it’s part of the game. Every day I’ve worked hard to get better and come back.
“It’s around this time when the play-offs are going on around the Football League that I just get flooded with all those memories and I think, ‘I’d love that to happen again.’
“I’d love another go at a play-off run; it brings back all the memories. All the injuries I’ve had make you appreciate the good times even more.”
Fans will have the chance to show their appreciation for Jed ahead of kick-off on Sunday.
The goalkeeper will be celebrated as the club recognise his contributions as a Villa player.
He will be introduced to the crowd before coming out onto the pitch.
