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Holtecast - An Aston Villa Podcast
Equality, diversity and inclusivity in football with Gemma Taylor-Whitehead
Only a few days remain until Aston Villa are back in action and with that in mind, Cole and Simon are joined by fellow Villa fan and UEFA B coach, Gemma Taylor-Whitehead, to discuss supporting the club from her point of view, inclusivity in football and how things are shaping up for Unai Emery's men ahead of Saturday's trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!
WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?
- From Gemma's perspective, what has supporting Aston Villa meant to her?
- Is it fair to say that the football club has done a good job in creating an inclusive environment?
- Is it also fair to say that there's still plenty of work to be done in football when it comes to inclusivity?
- Thoughts on the season thus far and how are we all feeling heading into Saturday's match against Everton?
STAY CONNECTED:
Email: holtecast@gmail.com
X: @HoltecastPod
Threads: Holtecast
Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social
Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla
Simon O'Regan: @SiORegan
Gemma Taylor-Whitehead: @coachgemmatw
EPISODE NOTES:
Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.
Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
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574. UNDER THE LIGHTS | Maatsen and Malen get Aston Villa back on track
25:50||Ep. 574Happy Friday and welcome back to another edition of "Under The Lights" as Cole, Seb and Simon are back to reflect on Aston Villa's return to winning ways, securing a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?With headlines off of the pitch creating plenty of controversy prior to the match, Simon shares his experience going to the match at Villa Park.Is Ian Maatsen making the most of his starts?Does Harvey Elliot have a future at Aston Villa?Given Ollie Watkins' scoring struggles, how important is Donyell Malen going forward?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaSimon O'Regan: @SiOReganSebastian Bacon: @SebastianBacon8EPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
573. LIVERPOOL 2-0 ASTON VILLA: Generous Martinez and Watkins' drought
37:12||Ep. 573Aston Villa's struggles at Anfield continue and it certainly feels like a missed opporunity! Listen in as Cole and Simon chat all about a frustrating loss to Liverpool and look ahead to the Europa League clash against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday.You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?A promising start, but Villa are punished for sloppy play - how much of a missed opportunity was Saturday's loss?Emi Martinez's gift to Mohamed Salah and fan frustrations.Should we be seriously concerned about Ollie Watkins lack of attacking output?How confident are we all heading into Thursday's Europa League clash?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaSimon O'Regan: @SiOReganEPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
572. ASTON VILLA 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY: Cash on the money!
51:33||Ep. 572Aston Villa certainly bounced back from a poor showing on Thursday and in some style too! Join Cole and Simon to discuss a complete performance against Manchester City at Villa Park.You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?Could we have asked for a more complete performance?Just how important is Ezri Konsa to Unai Emery's system?Amadou Onana, a physically dominant performance.Has Matty Cash well and truly silenced his doubters now?Are Villa heading to Anfield at the perfect time?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaSimon O'Regan: @SiOReganEPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
571. UNDER THE LIGHTS | Eagles soar to stun wasteful Aston Villa
21:09||Ep. 571Welcome back to the latest edition of "Under The Lights" as Cole and Simon return to discuss the fallout from Aston Villa's frustratingly wasteful performance against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?From the perfect start to being punished for being extremely wasteful; what can be made of Villa's first loss in the Europa League this season?Were too many changes made to the starting XI?Where's Harvey Elliot?How should we expect Villa to react against Manchester City on Sunday?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaSimon O'Regan: @SiOReganEPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
570. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-2 ASTON VILLA: Please don’t take my Emi away...
53:22||Ep. 570Happy Monday and welcome back to the Holtecast! Join Cole and Simon as they react to Aston Villa's performance on Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur in North London!You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?What a win! How important was Sunday's result?The goals - how good was Morgan Rogers' and Emi Buendia's goals?Amadou Onana's role within this Villa side.How are we all feeling heading into Thursday's Europa League clash in Deventer, Netherlands?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaSimon O'Regan: @SiOReganEPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
569. ASTON VILLA 2-1 BURNLEY: A delightful Donyell double!
45:30||Ep. 569Another dreadful international break is upon us, but before we all mentally unplug from the lovely world of Aston Villa, join Cole, Seb and Simon to reflect on a fourth win in a row for Unai Emery's men.You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?So, how are we all feeling about Aston Villa these days?Are we starting to see the old (and much better) version of Emery's Villa?Just how impressive has Lamare Bogarde been?Donyell Malen and his role within this Villa squad.Can Villa keep up this momentum with some massive fixtures coming up after the international break?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaSimon O'Regan: @SiOReganSebastian Bacon: @SebastianBacon8EPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
568. UNDER THE LIGHTS | Captain fantastic McGinn leading by example
24:10||Ep. 568Happy Friday all and welcome back to the latest edition of "Under The Lights". Listen in as Cole and Dom return to discuss Aston Villa's third consecutive win, with Unai Emery's men beating Feyenoord 2-0 in Rotterdam.You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?No Martinez, no problem! Just how impressive has Marco Bizot been since joining Villa?Has Emi Buendia been Villa's best player so far this season?What can be made of John McGinn's impressive form?Having that winning feeling back is lovely, isn't it?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaDom Phillips: @_domphillipsEPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
567. ASTON VILLA 3-1 FULHAM: We have liftoff!
47:47||Ep. 567Aston Villa are starting to get their mojo back! Join Cole, Simon and Seb as the lads discuss Villa's first win of the 2025/2026 Premier League campaign and look ahead to the trip to Feyenoord on Thursday!You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?What can be made of Sunday's performance at Villa Park?Did Fulham have one or two valid penalty shouts?Emi Buendia, proving his doubters wrong!John McGinn's ability to lead by example.Can Villa keep up the momentum heading into Thursday's Europa League match?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaSimon O'Regan: @SiOReganSebastian Bacon: @SebastianBacon8EPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
566. UNDER THE LIGHTS | John McGinn seals Villa's win against Bologna
23:21||Ep. 566Happy Friday everyone and welcome to a new feature on the Holtecast called "Under The Lights". Join Cole and Dom as they reflect on the good and the bad of Aston Villa's first win of the season against Bologna and look ahead to Sunday's match against Fulham in 25 minutes or less.You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?A goal, a clean sheet and the first win of the season; how are we all feeling about Thursday's result?Evann Guessand, a bright light with potential.Can Morgan Rogers be played back into form?Just how good is Marco Bizot?Can Villa keep the momentum going against Fulham on Saturday?STAY CONNECTED:Email: holtecast@gmail.comX: @HoltecastPodThreads: HoltecastBluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.socialCole Pettem: @TalkAstonVillaDom Phillips: @_domphillipsEPISODE NOTES:Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/