Premiership: Enckelman keeps cottagers at bay

Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa

Fulham and Aston Villa have drawn 19 league games between them this season, and the total rose quietly to 20 this afternoon on an afternoon when the finishing was as poor as the weather.

After Villa had dominated the opening period, the home side had several chances to nick the points, but unfortunately they all fell to the Barry Hayles, who could not find a way past Peter Schmeichel's very able deputy, Peter Enckelman.

Cottagers skipper Andy Melville set the tone for the first half when he allowed Juan Pablo Angel the first sniff of goal after five minutes - but the Colombian's 20-yarder ballooned into the crowd.

Thereafter the flow remained pretty constant towards Edwin van der Sar's goal as the home side singularily failed to establish any sort of rhythm to their game.

Fortunately for Jean Tigana's men, the Villans finishing could not match the build-up, a fact illustrated when Angel swung his left foot at Moustapha Hadji's low cross seven yards out - and the ball dribbled out for a throw.

Van der Sar gathered Hadji's deflected effort, before scurrying across to his left-hand post to keep out Steve Staunton's 25-yard free-kick - while Darius Vassell failed to hit the target from 20 yards.

It was half an hour before Fulham looked like threatening Enckelman's goal, but Hayles' cross was comfortably headed clear by Olaf Mellberg.

They came much closer when Steve Marlet headed Zat Knight's lofted ball into the path of Louis Saha but under pressure form Steve Staunton he could only toe-poke the bouncing ball into Enckelman's arms.

In fact the French striker had made two of his most telling headed contributions in his OWN area, and his miserable half was complete when he found his way - harshly - into the referee's book for diving under a challenge from Mellberg on the edge of the Villa area.

Zak Knight lashed in a low 25 yarder which Enckelman tipped onto the outside of the post at full stretch, and minutes later van der Saar showed his quality with a fine stop after Angel had cleverly played in Vassell down the inside left channel.

Clear-cut openings continued to be at a premium and when they did, as when the ball broke for Lee Hendrie on the edge of the area the ball merely bobbled through to the keeper.

Mellberg then had to stretch out a boot to clear the danger as the ball was played into the box, before the clearest opening of the game fell to Hayles after a fine run and lay-off from Steed Malbranque. But the former Bristol Rovers man was denied superbly by Enckelman's right-hand from 12 yards.

The same player was culpable again as Fulham finally began to exert some sustained pressure, but could only loft the ball onto the roof of the net as he was the first to react to van der Sar's long clearance.

Villa's defence was holding firm, and their threat was now intermittent, but Vassell again tested van der Sar on the break as he shot low from the edge of the area.

There was still time for Hayles to sprint clear and fail to round the Villa keeper, and his final contribution of an afternoon he will want to forget was a scuffed drive that dribbled well wide from 20 yards.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH Peter Enckelman (Aston Villa) Schmeichel's finger injury may have given him his chance, but he gratefully accepted with both hands - and legs - to earn his side a point.