1-11-08 

Very tempted not to write a report on this game, as it is very difficult to find anything to say in mitigation of a Villa performance that fell well short of what is required, and indeed what the lads expect of themselves. Yes Villa played some pretty enough stuff going forward, in patches at least, but sometimes you just have to roll your sleeves up and be prepared to do the more workmanlike things that are also a legitimate part of the game, and on the day not enough people were prepared to stand up and be counted.  Coppull on the other hand were bigger, stronger and that bit more determined to battle, and had they taken all the chances that fell their way, could easily have finished with more than the two goals that Villa’s woeful set piece defending gifted them. Almond only had two real efforts to deal with all afternoon, and one of them came from his own colleague!

 In fact the first half was a fairly dire affair, with neither side able to seriously test the opposing keeper, although Villa’s uncharacteristically nervy play in defence certainly afforded Coppull plenty of opportunity to do so.  Brown could have, and probably should have, got his side off to a flying start when he pounced on a short back pass, but in his haste he blasted over.  At the other end, Almond had to react smartly to keep his side from going behind, getting down well to palm a misplaced header from one of his own defenders round his right hand post, but that’s’ all he wrote’

 The wheels came off for Villa right at the start of the second half.  Ross Baxter produced a fine save to deflect the ball away for a corner, but the resulting set piece found the defence adopting a very static ‘after you Claude’ attitude, and Fletcher had the easiest of tasks to fire a low drive unchallenged into the bottom corner. Almost exactly a minute later we had an exact replica. Another Baxter save, another corner, another example of irresponsible defending, this time Carl Barton was the one to profit.

 Villa huffed and puffed for the rest of the half, and did look as though they might inspire a fight back when they got the ball on the deck. But in truth, the home side coped comfortably with most of what was thrown at them and it is hard to recall the visitors winning a single header all afternoon. Coppull almost added to their tally mid way through the half, but Craig Chambers produced a spectacular last-ditch header off the line. And again with fifteen to go, the lead could easily have been extended when Dean Cooper blasted over with plenty of time and space to do better. Down the other end, Villa’s one real effort of the day was thwarted when Almond produced a fine one handed save to block a close range blast from Craig O’Neil.

 A woeful capitulation, with the only crumb of comfort being that Villa will not be this inept again. Must make a special mention of referee John Hornsby. I have recently waxed lyrical about some of the robotic refereeing we have seen recently, and it was good to see a referee who was prepared to use his common sense and management skills rather than simply flashing cards all over the place, in what can sometimes be one of the more challenging encounters at which to officiate. Funnily enough I was not aware of any assessor in the vicinity!

  Villa Line Up – Baxter, Dunn, Zverina, O’Neil