This local derby has in the past sometimes been a tetchy affair, and sometimes downright bad tempered. On this occasion however there was none of that, as both sides concentrated fully on the football side of things in an effort to get their respective seasons off to the kind of start that would provide a platform from which they might launch a realistic tilt at honours in ten months time.  A very even first half ended with both sides having notched their first of the season, but although a practically unrecognisable youthful Coppull side had much the better of the second, Villa scored against the run of play and for a long time looked as though they had done enough to nick it. However, a momentary lapse of concentration at a corner saw a late headed equaliser which allowed the visitors leave with the point that arguably was the least that their efforts merited.

A confident Villa began the more adventurous, and almost grabbed an early lead inside three minutes, when Lee Chambers headed narrowly wide on the end of a floated free kick. And in fact the home side didn’t have long to wait for their breakthrough, as just five minutes later Alf Gutteridge fired a superb volley over the left back and into the far corner.

Villa were having the better of things up to this point, and when the Coppull keeper failed to hold a ferocious Greg Johnstone free kick, Ross Dickinson was on the spot to pick up the bits, but his hasty effort scrambled narrowly wide.

Coppull gradually grew in confidence however, and their busy style began to open up possibilities. Ross Baxter had to produce a top drawer save to keep out a low volley, but the equaliser when it came was still somewhat out of the blue. An innocuous ball into the box found David Warburton caught wrong side of his man, and the clumsy challenge which resulted allowed Dale Scare the opportunity to send Baxter the wrong way from the spot.

Both sides had opportunities to swing things their way before the interval. Gutteridge sprinted clear and found himself through one-on-one with the keeper, but the custodian got down well to block at the striker’s feet. For their part, an excellent passing move saw the visitors carve a superb opening that required an outstanding save from Baxter to keep things on an even keel.

Coppull had much the better of things during the half hour following the interval, but clear cut chances were few, though Baxter was called on again to work his magic, throwing himself full length to block a close range volley that looked a certain goal. Villa were not enjoying much success at this juncture, but David Heald did carve out a golden opportunity for Warburton, but though his shot had plenty of power, it lacked the direction necessary to trouble the keeper.

Then, against the run of play, Heald produced a trade mark powerful run, enabling him to pick out Gutteridge with a measured cut back, and the latter converted with a fine half volley on the run.

With less than fifteen minutes left on the watch, Villa looked well placed to claim a hard earned, if perhaps not fully justified victory. However, Coppull had other ideas, and kept up their relentless pace right to the end. With just a couple of minutes to go, a fairly routine corner from the left somehow eluded everybody, allowing Catterall to equalise with a point blank header right by the back post.

 As previously observed, this Coppull side bore little resemblance to those of recent encounters, and they must surely be encouraged by this promising start. For their part, Villa were unable to reproduce the flair they showed in pre-season, but will have an early opportunity to redeem themselves with the visit of Fulwood on Tuesday (10^th Aug – 6.45)

Villa line-Up: Ross Baxter, John Salisbury, Darren Davies, Ross Dickinson, Lee Chambers, Matt Plano, Ryan Lilley, David Heald (Phil Woodman 74), David Warburton (Mark Swift 79), Alex Gutteridge, Greg Johnstone.