How does it go again.. ‘Jingle Bells, Oh what fun it is to see the Villa win away!’

Yes it may of taken 8 away games this season but Villa have finally got there first win on there travels this season.

I won’t try and kid you and state that it was glamorous, because it was far from that – but there was some positives to take from this game and I hope we can take this and build on it for the rest of the season.

It took just 33 minutes for the away side to take the lead, following plenty of missed opportunities. The superb Gabriel Agbonlahor centred from the left and Albrighton was at hand to slot the ball for Villa’s first goal in three games.

Villa made it 2-0 just six minutes later when a Stan Petrov shot was deflected off former Villa player Gary Cahill and into the bottom corner.

It was like a complete breath of fresh air – we was a joy to watch in the first half but my half time worries turned into reality in the second half. I feared Bolton would come out all guns blazing and Villa would sit back and try and defend there lead. I wasn’t wrong.

The home side pulled themself back into the game when Ivan Klasnic swept the ball into the Villa goal following a penalty area scramble.

It was a pretty end to the fixture but we held off a very desperate Bolton side. Villa are now back up to 8th in the table with a very difficult home game against Liverpool next Sunday.

One of the biggest downsides to today’s game was seeing Gabriel Agbonlahor unfairly pick up his fifth yellow of the season, meaning he will have to sit out the home tie against the Scousers.

The positives were in the first half we used the wingers well and they exploited Bolton – More of the same please Villa?

After coming out of Villa Park yesterday I felt that although we did nothing spectacular, there was some positives to take from the second half. Although having read other peoples views maybe I was watching a different game?

We always knew it wouldn’t be an easy game and most Villa fans would of just wanted some fight and spirit – to have a go at United and see what happens!

Alex McLeish changed the whole midfield to probably what most fans would of liked to of seen, despite sticking with the same back four that has been our biggest problem this season.

United took the lead just 20 minutes into a very poor half of football, for in my opinion, both sides through Phil Jones.

Patrice Evra released an overlapping Nani, who’s cross was met by Jones who then volleyed past Given from close range.

Villa keeper Shay Given was replaced after 38 minutes for Brad Guzan after tweaking his hamstring. United also sore Javier Hernandez stretchered off after twisting his ankle.

The home side were greeted by boo’s from the supporters in a half that never really got going.

United started the second half in control, but Villa started to get more and more into the game as the clock ticked.

Anders Lindergaard was soon called into action when he had to deny James Collins close range header after pushing the ball over the bar.

Villa could of even possibly have robbed something if only Emile Heskey was able to find a free Darren Bent very late on but instead he shot and the hopes of the home supporters were dashed.

Conclusion

It was never going to be easy and it was far from a classic but we must take the positives and move onto Bolton next weekend. Certain players need to be starting while others shouldn’t be. And we will all have our own opinions who those players should be!

The one thing I did pick up on once again, and like I have said before this season – we are still our own worst enemy. We give the ball away far to cheaply and make to many mistakes. This is simple football and if we can start to cut this out I feel that we could honestly achieve a top half finish this season!

Despite the shocking news of Gary Speed’s death about an hour before kick off, today’s game still went ahead.

Some people may of felt the game should of been postponed, and the 90 minutes that followed the referee’s first whistle, most of us wish that the game had.

You don’t need to be told that being an Aston Villa fan has been hard for the past two seasons, and we all have our own opinions on what the problems and solutions could be.

It seems to me that Aston Villa are there own biggest enemy and they seem to find even the easiest of tasks such as passing a ball to another Claret and Blue shirt so hard.

I have expressed this as I feel that Chris Herd is one of the biggest culprits of this, and yet some have told me that I should give the lad time. I am sorry but one of the most basic things in football that we are all taught is to pass a ball to a team mate and If you can’t do that you shouldn’t be playing professional football at the highest level regardless of your age.

Both sides had there chances but not many of them were taken in the first half with the home side dominating possession without really threatening Shay Given in the Villa goal.

Villa could of so easily been awarded a penalty just on the stroke on half time when Ashley Williams appeared to handball a Emile Heskey header, although my initial thought was that it was just a poor header. So despite replays showing it was a handball I think it would of been very harsh on the home side.

The away side looked a little better in the second half and began to push. It wasn’t long before Gabriel Agbonlahor sore his powerful shot slip through the hands of the Swans keeper Michel Vorm but other the crossbar.

Substitute Leroy Lita could of maybe taken all three points on two occasions but he put the one chance just wide, and was denied by a fantastic Shay Given save on the other.

I feel that this game was a game we had to win with the run of fixtures we have ahead of us, but it wasn’t to be and I do indeed fear the next month.

Back to Basics

If I was Alex McLeish I would have the lads back on the training pitch tomorrow morning going back to basics. Simple things like I have already said have been a constant problem for us. Just simple one touch training matches and defending.

Some might argue we kept a clean sheet today, but we was lucky as Leroy Lita turned James Collins way to easy at one point while Swansea carved through the back four way to easy on another.

It is so easy to say they didn’t, but if we can get these simple things right I believe we have enough about us to get by this season – If we don’t, It could be another very long hard season.

Villa fans haven’t had a lot of joy this season, with many always looking at the negatives, instead of the positives, but I can hold my hands up and say I walked away from Villa Park after a thriller of a football match that I felt we deserved to win.

Before the game I did feel positive, but a little anxious, but can you really blame me? I felt Norwich would score against us as I am not to confident in two of our back four (Collins, Hutton), but I felt Norwich’s back four was there for the taking, and I wasn’t wrong. After all on another day Villa could of easily walked away with 5-6 goals.

And that isn’t me slating Norwich either, a side who play like they have nothing to lose every week and have a pretty decent following aswell. But as I said in my match preview, surely it is only a matter of time before a bigger club comes knocking for Paul Lambert.

With Remembrance Sunday coming up, Villa held a special armed forces day before the game with all different army activities being held, poppy’s being sold, and of course a minutes silence before kick off! The only complaint I had, was because poppy sellers had run out of pins some idiots refused to donate some money to a very deserving charity – Just remember its not about the poppy, more about raising money for as I said a very deserving charity.

It was the away side that started brightly and opened the scoring with a fantastic free-kick from Anthony Pilkington. No goalkeeper in the world was going to stop it, but It did come from a silly mindless foul from Mr. Alan Hutton.

Many Villa fans have been sticking up for Darren Bent of late stating he doesn’t get the service he needs, however I do think he has missed far to many sitters for an International striker and this continued yesterday as he could of easily had a hat trick inside the first half.

Villa were back on level terms though when Darren Bent did finally put one of his many chances he had yesterday away. Gabby Agbonlahor who looks to be in the form of his life, gave Kyle Naughton the run around all afternoon, and on the half hour mark he beat the Norwich right back and sent over a wonderful ball for Bent to bundle into the back of the net.

After 48 minutes the home side were in the lead when Naughtons back pass was slightly short, and even though the Canaries goalkeeper John Ruddy looked favorite to the ball, Agbonlahor won the challenge and placed the ball into an empty net.

Villa were now in full control of the game and it wasn’t to much longer before our £18million striker made it 3-1. Charles N’Zogbia’s initial ball was cleared but Man of the Match Agbonlahor was there to send over another fantastic ball for Bent to score from close range.

Norwich pulled one back late on when Grant Holte crossed a ball for striker Steve Morison to head past Shay Given, but it was always going to be Aston Villa’s day and in particular Gabriel Agbonlahor’s.

Without doubt there are still things that need to improve at Villa, but for once this season, lets just take the three points with a good performance and look forward to Tottenham after the International break.

Alan Shearer summed it up last night perfectly on Match of the Day; the new of Connor Wickham and the experienced head, on his return of Darren Bent. Connor Wickham, the £8m signing from Ipswich, didn’t steal the show, but got a goal.

“The pantomime season is still a few months away.” Darren Bent’s return to the Wearside, greeted by a stadium of boos. was obviously going to make sure the spotlight was drawn away from what was a very good, end-to-end game.

With four goals scored, it was, in my eyes, a very open game, one of which Aston Villa looked comfortable in their own skin; so to speak. The team looked as if they wanted to play together. Only expect when the forwards and N’Zogbia couldn’t be bothered to move their legs from the half way line to help defend.

Stiliyan Petrov got the first goal, a belter from 20 yards out. Connor Wickham scored Sunderland’s equalizer after some scrappy James Collins defending. The second half was upon them at the Stadium of Light and Richard Dunne, or James Collins, depending on who you think got the last touch, rose highest to give Villa the lead with just 5 minutes to go. However,Villa being Villa, conceded in the last minutes to the smallest man on the pitch; from a set piece. Luckily from Steve Bruce, he muttered the words “Thank you” as he looked up in relief. 

It was an at times exciting, yet ultimately frustrating day from Aston Villa.  ”A draw was a fair result,” said Bruce. “Villa played very well. They’ve got good pace, so it was difficult.” At the end of the day, I’ve got to disagree with him, for me I think it’s 2 points lost. On the other hand, you have to hand it to Sunderland for getting back. Even though it was helped by James Collins’ not so heroic defending.

With a banner adorned with the message ‘B£NT’, Sunderland thought that perhaps that would put of the former Black Cat. To their horror Bent nearly opened the scoring when a clever ball from Emile Heskey invited Gabby to put in a flighted cross to where Bent arrived at the back post. Sunderland supporters probably had their heart in their mouth right up until the point of a vital interception from Wes Brown. Yet now, although no goal had come from it Villa had detected the home side’s vulnerability.

Gabby Agbonlahor, with 2 men on him, twisted and turned and switched play with a beautiful ball out to Alan Hutton. Throwing a little dummy, he found the skipper, who used his skill to put it onto his left foot. The Bulgarian curling a sublime left-foot shot beyond keeper Simon Mignolet.

Sunderland put a spanner in the works when Sessègnon and Wickham exchanged to set up the 18-year-old for his first Premier League goal, when he struck a shot past Shay Given. For me, as a footballer myself, I used to play as a centre-back and it was all down to a James Collins mistake. He got drawn into the ball, a no go when defending, leaving Connor Wickham all on his own.

If the under-achieving Charles N’Zogbia’s pace and trickery sporadically ruffled Sunderland, the visitors’ attempts at dominating possession before feeding Bent and company were frequently thwarted by David Vaughan.

Luckily, yet not so lucky for Villa, for Bruce, Kieron Westwood saved from close range as Darren Bent was through on goal. Heskey, placed on the left-wing showed his Messi skills, as he threw off defenders and found Petrov. The Villa goal scorer threaded a neat ball into the box, where it fell to Bent. Beautifully, he played a 1,2 with Gabby, picking up the return ball to be denied by Westwood’s big toe. “Westwood’s big toe saved the day for Sunderland,” said Alex McLeish, Villa’s manager. “Benty will agonise over that.” The frustration for me is that Bent moans about not getting the service and the opportunities anymore, however when he gets that he misses the chance.

Reprieved, Bent’s formerly adoring public indulged in a few choruses of “What a waste of money.” They were soon silenced when Dunne’s header from a Petrov free-kick evaded Westwood’s reach, but they quickly found their voice again when Sessègnon nodded home the equalizer from close range. Again, in my opinion, James Collins was once again at fault, leaving his man once again.

“It feels like two dropped points,” said McLeish, whose side have developed an unfortunate habit of surrendering winning positions. “It’s frustrating.”