Lewis Grabban aiming for glorious finish to season spent at both ends of the Championship

The striker has twice experienced the elation of victory and twice felt the pain of defeat under the arch, writes Matt Maher.

Tomorrow will be his fifth involvement in a play-off final and his third in four years in the game now dubbed the most lucrative in world football.

Considering what is at stake for Villa and the key role Grabban has assumed in Steve Bruce’s team since joining on loan from Bournemouth in January, it is arguably his most significant involvement yet.

His record, so far, reads a defeat and a victory with Millwall, the latter of which he watched from the stands due to injury.

After coming off the bench to help Norwich past Middlesbrough, Grabban started for Reading as they were beaten on penalties by Huddersfield 12 months ago.

“When you lose, you just want to go home, get out of the stadium as quickly as possible,” he says. “When you win, it’s one of the happiest days of your career. Winning with Norwich was the best day of my career, certainly in terms of joy, achievement.

“It’s a bigger achievement, I believe, going through the play-offs than winning automatic promotion. You do the season, then you’ve got the pressure of three games to get through. It’s a longer achievement, and more satisfaction.

“The joy of winning is a real high and the lowness of losing is like a ‘What if?’ feeling. Obviously you have another chance to go again but the joy really lasts for a while.

“You can see it – teams get promoted and start the season really well. It can last for a long time.”

Whatever the outcome tomorrow, it was difficult to envisage this end to the season for Grabban as recently as December, when he was involved in a very different battle at the other end of the Championship with Sunderland.

Indeed, should Villa emerge victorious, the 30-year-old will find himself the answer to a pub quiz question: Which player was promoted and relegated in the same season?

“Hopefully the relegation won’t go down too much on my record!” says Grabban, who netted 12 goals in 19 league appearances for the Black Cats.

“I don’t think anyone thought at the beginning of the season that Sunderland could do that. I certainly didn’t.

“But it happens to big clubs. They’re not the first and won’t be the last.”

There were many who predicted Villa might be victims of the dreaded ‘double drop’ following their relegation from the Premier League.

Yet since Steve Bruce took the reins with the club hovering near the foot of the Championship in October 2016, they have been on a steadily upward curve and are now just 90 minutes from a return to the top flight.

Grabban, signed in the final hours of the January transfer window has proved a shrewd addition. His style has drawn comparisons to Stan Collymore, while his record of eight goals in just 17 appearances has been seriously impressive.

As much as there is plenty on the line for Villa, tomorrow may also be pivotal for Grabban, a player who remains determined to prove himself in the Premier League.

His last top-flight appearance for the Cherries was back in August 2016. His only goal was against Arsenal in 2015. A Villa promotion could lead to a permanent deal.

“There’s a massive drive there to prove myself in the Premier League because I’ve only had ten games,” he said. “When I scored against Arsenal (for Bournemouth), I played the next game and then I was out of it so it would be nice to get another crack at it – a real crack at it.

“I can’t really comment what the future is going to hold. I’ve enjoyed my time here so we will just have to see what happens in the summer. I’ve still got another year at Bournemouth, so it’s pretty much in the air.

“It would be nice to play a part in getting this club back up. That is one for the reasons I came here to try and get promotion. You want to be achieving something as a footballer. If we do that it would be a successful season.”