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Jed Steer has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Aston Villa since his loan recall just four months ago. Since then, he’s etched his name into club folklore.
Words by Regan Foy | @FindFoy
Jed Steer’s meteoric career rise has reached a new peak after his heroic penalty shoot-out performance against West Bromwich Albion in the Second Leg of the Play-Off Semi Final.
Steer, who joined Aston Villa in 2013 on a free transfer from Norwich City, where he was touted as the “best under-18 goalkeeper in the country” by coach Ricky Martin. He made his Premier League debut against Burnley in 2015 in a 1-0 loss to Burnley.
Whilst at Aston Villa, Steer has enjoyed loan spells at the likes of Doncaster Rovers, where he played seventeen times, keeping six clean sheets, Yeovil Town, where he spent three months, Huddersfield Town, where he spent the majority of the season , and then Charlton Athletic earlier in this season.
Throughout his time at Villa Park that wasn’t spent on loan at other clubs, Steer was never really awarded a shot and missed out to the likes of Brad Guzan, Shay Given and even Pierluigi Gollini. If he wasn’t sat on the bench, then he was injured.
Injuries were something that had plagued Jed Steer’s career in B6 throughout his time at the club. Every time it seemed like he was going to get his big chance in the first team, he was out with a lengthy injury. This happened last season which meant that then ‘keeper Sam Johnstone was pretty much forced to not get injured, or he’d be leaving the squad inherently short in the goalkeeping department.
This season, Jed Steer started pre-season expecting to be number one. He had played in every single pre-season game and even produced an almighty mistake against Dynamo Dresden. In came Orjan Nyland and out went Steer, joining Charlton.
He stayed at Charlton until he was recalled towards the latter reaches of January. Orjan Nyland ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament and new signing Lovre Kalinic required cover. Steer was back on the bench for Aston Villa.
That was until the West Bromwich Albion game which saw Kalinic concede two goals, before suffering with concussion. Jed Steer started the second half, and retained his place for the next game against Stoke City.
Jed Steer then went on to make history.
Not by himself, of course, but he was an integral part of the record-breaking ten game winning streak by Aston Villa that saw them concede a minute number of goals over a period of a few months, and surge into the Play-Offs with a handful of games remaining.
Steer’s good form allowed Lovre Kalinic to get surgery on a knee injury, and has kept the Croatian international out of the sticks since his return. It also allowed youngster Matija Sarkic to experience a number of match-days.
Once the Play-Offs began, Jed Steer had impressed within the first twenty-five minutes of the home tie against West Bromwich Albion, pulling off a spellbinding save to stop Jay Rodriguez scoring an awe-striking goal and giving the away side the lead.
In the second leg, Steer truly wasn’t tested much, and looked nervy at times in the second half of the game.
When it came to the end of extra-time, however, was when Jed Steer truly etched his name into Aston Villa folklore.
West Bromwich Albion defender Mason Holgate stepped towards the penalty spot, with Jed Steer beside him, glaring at him and not breaking his sight, like a German Sherpherd eyeing a chew toy. Holgate fired his penalty towards goal, but Jed Steer pulled off a fine save to truly cast doubt into the minds of the home side.
Ahmed Hegazi stepped up for the Baggies second penalty – and Jed Steer channelled his inner Jerzy Dudek and danced on the goal line, before diving low and to his right and palming Hegazi’s penalty wide, before roaring at the crowd.
Jed Steer has risen meteorically since the Stoke game, and has reached the peak of his Aston Villa career. But he’s not done yet.
