ASTON VILLA 3 CITY 1
Barclays League Division 1
7th December 1991
Attendance 26,265
Scorers
City White(65)
Aston Villa Regis(26), Yorke(40), Daley(70)
Ref Ron Groves
City Coton, Hill, Pointon, Megson, Curle, Sheron, White, Heath, Quinn, I Brightwell, Hughes – Subs Quigley(45), Flitcroft(unused)
Villa Sealey, Kublcki, Staunton, Teale, McGrath, Richardson, Daley, Parker, Regis, Blake, Yorke – Subs Ehiogu(84), Olney(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MICHAEL RALPH WRITING IN THE OBSERVER 8TH DECEMBER 1991
Part of Villa’s programme was taken up with an earnest article apologising for the state of the pitch. The turf may be cutting up rough at Villa Park, but there will be no complaints from the supporters if their team continue to entertain in this fashion.
Villa’s manager Ron Atkinson has airily ruled out any hopes of the title, but the way in which his side inflicted the first League defeat since September on a high-flying team with the equal best away record in the division hinted at tantalising possibilities.
The early play was understandably patchy on a surface which had had several tons of sand dumped on it, in the club’s words, to try to stabilise a central area of the pitch. Villa have been working to this end in other ways, having signed Forest’s midfielder Gary Parker for £650 000.
He made an increasingly assured contribution on his home debut, “he did a nice little John Robertson job On the left-hand side, which gives Daley the chance to be a free spirit up front,” Atkinson said, but Villa’s most influential figure was their left back Staunton, late of Anfield, who retains the essential Liverpool Swagger.
After 26 minutes, a corner earned by Staunton’s probing was eventually cleared back to him and he measured a cross to the far post for Regis to head Villa into the lead. White, who scored four in last season’s corresponding match, which City won 5-1, was less assured three minutes later when slipping at the Holte End, he shot weakly at the keeper from close in.
Five minutes before the break Villa, re-discovering their natural exuberance after three successive defeats, went two up, Richardson from a corner, which he had Panicked City’s right-back Hill into conceding, found McGrath at the near post and the defender’s flick was headed home by Yorke. City pulled a goal back after 65 minutes when Sealey failed to intercept Sheron’s deep cross from the left and White only had to nod in.
But Villa’s differential was gloriously restored five minutes later when, direct from a goal kick the ball was routed onwards and upwards Regis and Brightwell challenged for it but it fell, eventually, for Daley to volley home from just outside the box.
For City, then, life grows yet more frustrating as their great rivals continue to prosper in recent weeks, United fans have availed themselves of T-shirts which picture the released Terry Waite asking Robert Runcie if City have won anything since he had been away.
No confirms Runcie with an enormous grin; nothing since the League Cup 5,742 days ago!
Midweek defeat at Second Division Middlesbrough extinguished even the hope of repeating that achievement this season. But City’s manager Peter Reid knows the score. Something better is required.