ASTON VILLA 0 CITY 1

League Division 1 

1st January 1986

attendance 14,215

Scorer Lillis(53)

Ref N Ashley

City Nixon, Reid, Power, Clements, McCarthy, Phillips, Lillis, May, Moulden, McNab, Simpson – sub Melrose(unused)

Villa Spink, Norton, Dorigo, Evans, Elliot, Birch, Daley, Stainrod, Gray, Hodge, Walters – sub Kerr(67)

FROM AN ARTICLE BY JOHN MADDOCKS PUBLISHED IN THE CITY MAGAZINE JANUARY 1995
The Blues had plenty of reasons to celebrate the festive season of 1985/85. Boxing Day had brought a rare home win over the mighty Liverpool, thanks to a single goal from Clive Wilson.  
Two days later a goal from Neil McNab  brought another point when we drew 1-1 with Birmingham City. Then the New Year was opened with a bang as we came back from Villa Park with all the points. The Villa fans were naturally somewhat  disgruntled by the result, with cries forp the heads of chairman Doug Ellis and  manager Graham Turner, and after all it was Villa’s sixth successive home game without a win despite having spent £1.3 million on four players that season. The Blues,  with Paul Moulden making his full League debut, ran the game to  their own liking, the only Villa threat coming just after half-time when a Hodge shot  bounced off a post into Eric Nixon’s arms. A little later came the only goal. Paul Simpson took a corner which found Mick McCarthy, who flicked on. Leading scorer Mark Lillis, signed from Huddersfield the  previous summer, whipped in a shot past a flat-footed Villa defence.