Villa get a dose of the Blues

Birmingham 3 Aston Villa 0

The Villa players were booed from all corners of the ground during the warm-up as a capacity crowd of nearly 30,000 revved up for the first meeting in the top flight between these two bitter rivals for 16 years.

With such intensity, it was not surprising the match kicked off at full throttle. What was more unexpected was the quality on show as both sides matched commitment with skill.

That did not lessen the crowd volume however, which rose in decibels as Clinton Morrison crossed low for Cisse, making a late run into the box, to flash an effort past the post.

Jeff Kenna upped the home crowd’s adrenaline levels when he headed over from a corner, but Grainger was miles off with a speculative drive from distance.

Villa strikers Marcus Allback and Angel had been disappointing in the opening period so it was no surprise when manager Graham Taylor replaced them with Dion Dublin and Darius Vassell at the break.

The change had an immediate impact as Villa began in threatening fashion, and when Vassell surged into the danger area Grainger sliced a clearance across his own goal, looking a relieved man as it missed the far post.

Controversy erupted 11 minutes after the break when Vassell had a goal ruled out for offside despite the ball coming to him off a Birmingham head.

Villa’s strenuous efforts collapsed in farcical circumstance as a bizarre own goal from Enckelman handed Birmingham some breathing space.

The keeper’s lazy attempt to control Mellberg’s throw-in saw the ball take a touch off his boot and roll across the goal-line.

Substitute Geoff Horsfield rounded off an agonising night for Villa with a clean finish, after Alpay had failed to control a through ball.

BIRMINGHAM: Vaesen, Kenna, Purse, Cunningham, Grainger, Devlin, Savage, Cisse, Damien Johnson, John, Morrison. Subs: Bennett, Horsfield, Hughes, Lazaridis, Powell.

ASTON VILLA: Enckelman, Mellberg, Alpay, Staunton, De la Cruz, Kinsella, Johnsen, Barry, Samuel, Allback, Angel.