VILLA SADNED BY THE DEATH OF DROBNY, A FORMER PLAYER
The unexpected passing of former player Vaclav Drobny saddens Villa.
Racing Strasbourg signed 32-year-old Drobny to a season-long loan at Villa in August 2004.
He took part in the team’s first four friendlies of that season, which included victories of 6-0 over Klungshams, 7-2 over Kungsbacka, 3-0 over Jonkoping Sodra, and 0-0 tie against Orgryte.
The Czech international, who was travelling to Sweden for the preseason games, had impressed then manager David O’Leary during a trial.
“This is the biggest opportunity of my football career,” he declared at the time.
“It has always been a dream to play in England and when I was young I always wanted to play here in the Premier League. To be given a chance at a big club like Aston Villa is amazing.”
Unfortunately, he never quite fitted into the manager’s plans and failed to make a senior competitive appearance for the club, although he played 24 times for the reserves in their second-place finish in the league.
He then moved to Sparta Prague with whom he won the Czech league title in 2007 before switching to play in a Prague regional division.
Drobny tragically died this morning in a sledding accident.
He skidded off a piste and crashed into a tree in the Czech winter resort of Spindleruv Mlyn, some 140 kilometres north-east of Prague.
