Villa defeat Odense BK

Aston Villa 1 Odense BK 0 (agg 3-2)

Ashley Young’s second-half thunderbolt eased Aston Villa into the UEFA Cup with an Intertoto Cup triumph over Odense as Gareth Barry made his return.

An awful-looking injury to Wilfred Bouma heralded Barry’s introduction from the bench after just 15 minutes.

But, rather than the nasty reception some had feared, the England international was cheered every time he touched the ball, fuelling a belief he may stay at Villa rather than leave for Liverpool as Martin O’Neill fears.

The ball just was not running for Carew, who could not quite get to the rebound after Onyszko failed to hold another Sidwell piledriver.

It meant a night to enjoy for the Villa fans, with Barry’s acknowledgement of their personal support only adding fuel to the belief he will eventually choose to stay.

Agbonlahor fired wide as the hosts remained on top, Odense seemingly resigned to their fate.