McLeish’s Villa blessed with pluck of the Irish

Alex McLeish is not the only manager who should be offering thanks for the return to fitness of Richard Dunne and the continued excellence of Shay Given, after the pair kept the Baggies at bay and bagged an invaluable point in Villa’s battle against relegation.

Giovanni Trapattoni should thank his lucky stars he will be able to call on the pair this summer as Ireland face a tough task at Euro 2012.

Dunne proved his fitness and leadership skills with an outstanding defensive display despite coming back ahead of schedule from the dislocated shoulder that has kept him out for 10 weeks.

And Given showed that his 36th birthday last week has not dulled his reflexes when he made a superb save in stoppage time to keep out Peter Odemwingie’s stinging half-volley. Defeat would have been harsh on Villa, who were fighting for their lives and showed that even if many fans have given up on McLeish, his players haven’t.

And the manager who suffered the agony of relegation on the final day with Birmingham last season believes he has the experience in this Villa team to keep them up.

“We’ve been missing a lot of experienced players, but hopefully by next week we’ll have everybody fit again.

“Getting old heads like Richard Dunne back in the team helps in keeping us calm when we have a setback. He was out there a week ahead of schedule, but volunteered for duty, which says everything about him. He is a leader and was brilliant today.”

Given echoed his manager’s sentiments about the 32-year-old Dubliner. “His performance showed how immense Richard is for the club,” said Given. “He is a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room. Even seeing him with the captain’s armband gave everyone a huge lift.

“This was great for Aston Villa and great for Ireland as he is going to get these three games under his belt for the summer. The young lads look up to him. We’ve had quite a few youngsters in the team over the last few months and they see a performance from Dunney and they know that is the standard they have got to strive for.”

Given, meanwhile, is approaching 600 games at club level and his manager believes he is up there among the very best.

“He is one of the top keepers in the history of the Premier League,” said McLeish. “He makes it look effortless at times, and that save he made was all about his great reading of the game.”

Given’s opposite number, Ben Foster, also made fine saves to deny Villa time and time again in a game with plenty of chances. Foster is on loan from Birmingham, having left after their relegation.

McLeish knows it will go to the wire again. “That’s the drama of football. We don’t want it to go to the last day but it might have to.”