The Nepal Super League season lasts just four weeks, with the play-off final to decide the champions on 26 April – FA Cup semi-final weekend.
Will it be Preston, 14th in the Championship table, or Aston Villa – who face Paris St-Germain in a mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final next month – at Wembley on the final weekend of April?
“I loved my time at Preston,” adds Grayson, who was in charge at Deepdale between 2013 and 2017. “I had nothing but good times there and won promotion in front of around 50,000 fans at Wembley by beating Swindon 4-0 in the play-off final.
“I had no aspirations to leave but then Sunderland came knocking and it felt like one of those clubs you could help get back into the Premier League.”
Grayson knows Villa fans are desperate for success.
He joined them from Leicester City in June 1997, 15 months after Villa won the League Cup by beating Leeds in the 1996 final.
Villa have not won a major trophy since but Grayson believes that could be about to change under Unai Emery.
“I have been so impressed with what he has done,” he adds.
“No disrespect to Preston, but winning the FA Cup could be a big opportunity for Villa this season.
“Villa are a huge club and they will look at this game as an opportunity towards getting to the final and winning silverware.
“I’m intrigued as to how this tie is going to go.”
Will Grayson be watching the action at Deepdale on television in Nepal?
“I’m still getting used to the time difference over here. We’re five hours and 45 minutes ahead. But the early kick-off means I can watch it.
“Had it been later I’d have missed it – we’ve got training the next morning!”.
Read article in full at source
exeter.one newsbite last confirmed 1 week ago by Neil Johnston
Stay informed about this story by subscribing to our regular Newsletter
