2007-08

Villa lose on the opening day as big spenders Liverpool win in the 87' at Villa Park.

Lucky, lucky Liverpool, just as Villa have an annual defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup so they have a day dedicated to late Liverpool goals. And so it proved again. 

Midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker makes his Villa debut aged 23 after joining from West Ham United for a fee of £11,250,000 in July 2007 to become the 800th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Wilfred Bouma makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (47 Starts) to make it W15 D16 L19, 1 Assist and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Stiliyan Petrov collects his 5th booking in a Villa shirt on his 35th appearance to make it W9 D14 L12, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Stuart Taylor makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (8 Starts) to make it W2 D5 L3, 17 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.70 goals per game and 1 Clean Sheet so far in his Villa career.

Villa are held at St James' Park to leave them with one point and winless in their opening two games to the Premier League season under Martin O'Neill.

Villa earn their first point of the season under Martin O'Neill.

Goalkeeper Scott Carson, 22, keeps a clean sheet on his first appearance in a Villa shirt after joining on a season long loan from Liverpool in August 2007 to become the 801st player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Nigel Reo-Coker contributes his first assist in a Villa shirt on his 2nd appearance to make it W0 D1 L1, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa claim their first win of the campaign under Martin O'Neill  as Shaun Maloney hits an injury time winner against Fulham,

Centre forward Marlon Harewood - who has terrorised Villa's defence in recent meetings - makes his debut aged 28 after joining from West Ham United for a fee of £4,950,000 in July 2007 to become the 802nd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Nigel Reo-Coker scores his first goal in a Villa shirt on his 3rd appearance to make it W1 D1 L1, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Stiliyan Petrov secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 37th appearance to make it W10 D15 L12, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Martin Laursen secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 31st appearance (29 Starts) to make it W10 D14 L7, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Craig Gardner makes his 25th appearance goal in a Villa shirt (17 Starts) to make it W8 D7 L10, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

A much changed team makes short work of Wrexham.

Centre back Gary Cahill, 22, makes his 31st and final appearance in a Villa shirt (28 Starts) before being sold to Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £5,400,000 in January 2008 in a move that stunned and shocked the fan base in equal measure. Cahill, like Peter Crouch, Steven Davis and Thomas Hitzlsperger before him was clearly of the class to make a long term career with Villa but Martin O'Neill deemed Cahill surplus to requirements as he had with Steven Davis and as his predecessor had done with Crouch and Hitzlsperger. Perhaps it was with Martin Laursen and Olof Mellberg being his first choice centre back pairing he saw no room for Cahill. But, given the injuries Laursen carried and the expectation that Mellberg would leave the club at the end of his contract the decision worried many. Rumours of strong personalities and playing demands clashing also shone a light on issues not previously public. That O’Neill subsequently recruited lesser players as Cahill’s de facto replacements made the move even more perplexing. As for Cahill himself, although his initial destination was curious, to the surprise of nobody he went on to be a Premier League winning captain and the first chink in the mighty Martin O’Neill armour was opened. Cahill left with a record of W7 D9 L15, 1 Goal, 2 Assists and 7 Bookings.

Shaun Maloney celebrates his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (6 Starts) with a brace against League Two side Wrexham (who would be relegated from the League at the end of the campaign) to make it W5 D4 L1, 4 Goals and 0 Assists so far in his Villa career.

Marlon Harewood scores his 1st goal and contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 2nd appearance (1 Start) to make it W2 D0 L0, 1 Goals and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it successive Premier League victories as they see off Chelsea at Villa Park in an impressive performance.

Villa were now unbeaten in four since their unlucky opening day loss to Liverpool and in doing so dispatch Chelsea with aplomb.

Centre back Zat Knight, 27, makes a goalscoring debut after joining from Fulham for a fee of £4,230,000 in August to become the 803rd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Wilfred Bouma makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (53 Appearances) to make it W17 D17 L19, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Meanwhile off the pitch, Zat Knight is arrested during a drug raid on his family home.

Villa suffer defeat against the run of play as Michael Johnson stuns with his sole contribution in a sad Manchester City career.

Gabriel Agbonlahor makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (57 Appearances) to make it W18 D20 L19, 12 Goals, 6 Assists and 3 Bookings.

Villa bounce back from their unlucky reverse against Manchester City to beat Everton and make it three wins in four Premier League games and climb to 8th in the early Premier League table under Martin O'Neill.

Scott Carson contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 5th appearance to make it W3 D1 L1, 1 Assist, 2 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.40 goals per game, 3 Clean Sheets (60%) so far in his Villa career.

Craig Gardner secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 28th appearance (18 Starts) to make it W10 D7 L11, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Martin O'Neill's mass changes backfire as Villa are knocked out of the League Cup by Championship side Leicester. 

Villa have now lost three games this season, all of which have been by a single goal. 

Centre back Curtis Davies makes his debut appearance for Villa after joining on a season long loan from West Bromwich Albion in August 2007 ahead of a permanent move arranged for August 2008 to become the 804th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Stuart Taylor makes his 10th start in a Villa shirt (12 Appearances) to make it W3 D5 L4, 18 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.50 goals per game and 2 Clean Sheets so far in his Villa career.

Villa throw away a 4-1 lead to allow Spurs to snatched a late late equaliser and cost Villa the chance of a top 5 spot.

Gabriel Agbonlahor contributes his 20th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 60th appearance (53 Starts) to make it W19 D21 L20, 14 Goals, 6 Assists and 4 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.00 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Scott Carson contributes his 2nd assist in a Villa shirt on his 6th appearance to make it W3 D2 L1, 2 Assists, 6 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.00 goals per game, 3 Clean Sheets (50%) and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Zat Knight contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 5th appearance to make it W2 D1 L2, 1 Goal and 1 Assists so far in his Villa career.

Villa beat West Ham to make it two Premier League wins in three unbeaten games under Martin O'Neill.

Gabriel Agbonlahor secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 61st appearance (54 Starts) to make it W20 D21 L20, 14 Goals, 6 Assists and 4 Bookings.

Olof Mellberg collects his 30th booking in a Villa shirt on his 236th appearance to make it W80 D69 L87, 6 Goals, 6 Assists and 30 Bookings at a rate of a card every 8 games so far in his Villa career.

Nigel Reo-Coker collects his 4th booking in a Villa shirt on his 10th appearance to make it W5 D2 L3, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings  at a rate of a card every 2.50 games so far in his Villa career.

Nine man Villa lose to Manchester United with the customary help from the officials to leave them with a second Premier League defeat in eight games.

Villa lose for the third time in nine Premier League games and for a first time lose a match by more than the odd goal after having both Scott Carson and Nigel Reo-Coker sent off.

Villa fall back to 9th and the toxic combination of atrocious luck, form and poor refereeing performances against Manchester United continues.

Gabriel Agbonlahor scores his 15th goal in a Villa shirt on his 62nd appearance (55 Starts) to make it W20 D21 L21, 15 Goals, 6 Assists and 4 Bookings.

Scott Carson is sent off on his 8th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W4 D2 L2, 2 Assists, 9 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.12 goals per game, 4 Clean Sheets (50%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Nigel Reo-Coker is sent off on his 11th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W5 D2 L4, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 6 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a rate of a card every 1.57 games so far in his Villa career.

Villa draw at the Reebok having surrendered the early initiative to lowly Bolton to make it P10 W4 D3 L3 compared to Martin O'Neill's first season record of P10 W3 D6 L1, delivering 15 points each time.

Stuart Taylor concedes his 20th goal in a Villa shirt on his 14th appearance (11 Starts) to make it W3 D6 L5, 20 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.43 goals per game and 2 Clean Sheets so far in his Villa career.

Patrik Berger makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (9 Starts) to make it W7 D8 L10, 2 Goals, 3 Assists and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa see off bottom of the pile Derby for a second win in five Premier League games. Villa win their fifth League game of the campaign to go 9th in the table.

Ashley Young makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (22 Starts) to make it W9 D9 L7, 4 Goals, 6 Assists and 3 Bookings.

Martin Laursen contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 39th appearance (37 Starts) to make it W14 D16 L9, 4 Goals, 1 Assist and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Scott Carson keeps his 5th clean sheet and secures his 5th in a Villa shirt on his 9th appearance to make it W5 D2 L2, 9 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.00 goal per game, 5 Clean Sheets (55%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa ease to another win over neighbours Birmingham as Gabriel Agbonlahor hits the killer blow.

Villa win away in the League for the first time this season.

Villa make it 3 consecutive victories against Birmingham and their 9th win against their neighours in the last 15 games, 2 draws.

Scott Carson makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W6 D2 L2, 2 Assists, 10 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.00 goals per game, 5 Clean Sheets (50%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Gabriel Agbonlahor collects his 5th booking and scores his 16th goal in a Villa shirt on his 65th appearance (58 Starts) to make it W22 D22 L21, 16 Goals, 7 Assists and 5 Bookings.

Martin Laursen secures his 15th win in a Villa shirt on his 40th appearance (38 Starts) to make it W15 D16 L9, 4 Goals, 1 Assist and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career and has for the first time made it to the second week of November without being stricken by a long term injury. Laursen had been ruled out from August to March in 2004-05, for the entirety of the 2005-06 season, and from November 8th to March in 2006-07.

Zat Knight secures his 5th win in a Villa shirt on his 10th appearance to make it W5 D2 L3, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa sweep aside the hopeless managerial novice Gareth Southgate at Middlesbrough to make it three successive Premier League wins.

Villa go four unbeaten with a 7th win in 13 League games under Martin O'Neill and climb to 6th in the table.

John Carew scores his 5th goal in a Villa shirt on his 19th appearance to make it W8 D6 L5, 5 Goals and 2 Assists at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.71 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Scott Carson contributes his 3rd assist in a Villa shirt on his 11th appearance to make it W7 D2 L2, 3 Assists, 10 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.91 goals per game, 6 Clean Sheets (54%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Nigel Reo-Coker collects his 7th booking on his 14th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W8 D2 L4, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a rate of a card every 1.75 games so far in his Villa career.

Villa hammer Blackburn on their own patch to make if four consecutive wins in five unbeaten Premier League games. Villa win their fourth successive game to make it eight wins in fourteen as they rise to 6th in the table.

Ashley Young scores his 5th goal for the club on his 28th appearance (25 Starts) to make it W12 D9 L7, 5 Goals, 8 Assists and 3 Bookings.

Gabriel Agbonlahor contributes his 25th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 67th appearance (60 Starts) to make it W24 D22 L21, 17 Goals, 8 Assists and 5 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.68 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the first time in six Premier League games as they are unfortunate to be beaten by top of the table Arsenal.

Villa's four game winning run and five game unbeaten run under Martin O'Neill comes to an end with defeat to leaders Arsenal.

Craig Gardner scores his 5th goal in a Villa shirt on his 34th appearance (22 Starts) to make it W13 D8 L13, 5 Goal, 1 Assist and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa are overpowered by a team of pure physicality to leave them with consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time this season.

John Carew collects his 5th booking in a Villa shirt on his 22nd appearance to make it W9 D6 L7, 6 Goals, 3 Assists and 5 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.44 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Meanwhile Harry Redknapp does Harry Redknapp things.

Villa's mid season stumble continues as they are held at struggling Sunderland to leave them without a win in three Premier League games.

Villa end a surprise run of 2 defeats with a battling draw at sinking Sunderland to remain 8th in the table.

Shaun Maloney scores his 5th goal in a Villa shirt on his 19th appearance (8 Starts) to make it W8 D6 L5 and 5 Goals so far in his Villa career.

Villa are held at home by Manchester City to extend their winless run to four Premier League games, drawing two.

Villa draw a second successive game to make it four games without a win as they remain 8th in the table under Martin O'Neill.

Stiliyan Petrov makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (44 Starts) to make it W17 D18 L15, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

John Carew contributes his 10th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 24th appearance to make it W9 D8 L7, 7 Goals and 3 Assists at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.40 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Villa record their second 4-4 draw of the season but this time they are the comeback kings as a 90'+2 penalty earns them a point at title challengers Chelsea as the game ends 10 v 9.

Zat Knight is sent off on his 17th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W7 D5 L5, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Martin Laursen scores his 5th goal in a Villa shirt on his 47th appearance (45 Starts) to make it W17 D19 L1, 5 Goals, 2 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

John Carew makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W9 D9 L7, 7 Goals, 4 Assists and 5 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.27 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Villa win for the first time in six but are unbeaten in the last four to close out 2007 in seventh with a tilt on the European places in sight.

Villa end a run of three draws with a battling win at Wigan to rise to 7th in the table at the turn of the year. Villa had sat 12th at the same point a year earlier.

Curtis Davies scores his first goal in a Villa shirt on his 5th appearance (2 Starts) to make it W3 D1 L1 and 1 Goal so far in his Villa career.

Ashley Young contributes his 10th assist in a Villa shirt on his 34th appearance (31 Starts) to make it W13 D12 L9, 5 Goals, 10 Assists and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career. 

Gabriel Agbonlahor secures his 25th win, scores his 18th goal and contributes his 25th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 73rd appearance (66 Starts) to make it W25 D25 L23, 18 Goals, 8 Assists and 6 Bookings so far in his Villa career. 

John Carew secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 26th appearance to make it W10 D9 L7, 7 Goals, 4 Assists and 5 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.36 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Nigel Reo-Coker secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 20th appearance to make it W10 D5 L5, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 9 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa record successive wins to open 2008 on a high and are now unbeaten in 5 under Martin O'Neill as they rise to 6th in the Premier League table.

Wilfred Bouma secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 70th appearance (67 Starts) to make it W25 D22 L23, 3 Assists and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Shaun Maloney secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 23rd appearance (11 Starts) to make it W10 D8 L5, 7 Goals and 0 Assists so far in his Villa career.

Villa participate in the annual FA sponsored third round Cup defeat to Manchester United. 

In the latest yawn-fest that is Villa's annual FA Cup tie against Manchester United something happened to hand the Old Trafford outfit the win but it's difficult to keep track of just what.

Luke Moore, 21, makes his final appearance in a Villa shirt before moving on to West Bromwich Albion for £3,380,000 in July 2008. Whilst not a prolific marksman, Moore's absences from the squad and subsequent departure came as a surprise to many. Moore would leave with a record of W39 D29 L30, 14 Goals, 5 Assists and 5 Bookings across his 5 seasons in the Villa team.

Olof Mellberg makes his 250th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W86 D73 L91, 8 Goals, 6 Assists and 31 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Gabriel Agbonlahor makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (68 Starts) to make it W26 D25 L24, 18 Goals, 8 Assists and 6 Bookings.

Martin Laursen makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (48 Starts) to make it W19 D19 L12, 6 Goals, 2 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa record a third consecutive Premier League victory in six unbeaten games  under Martin O'Neill as Reading are swept aside at Villa Park to sit 6th in the Premier League table. 

Midfielder Moustapha Salifou, 24, makes his debut for Villa as a 90' substitute after joining from FC Wil 1900 for a fee of £450,000 in August 2007 to become the 805th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Stiliyan Petrov secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 54th appearance (47 Starts) to make it W20 D18 L16, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Martin Laursen secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 51st appearance (49 Starts) to make it W20 D19 L12, 7 Goals, 2 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Craig Gardner makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (40 Appearances) to make it W16 D9 L15, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 6 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Shaun Maloney makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (11 Starts) to make it W11 D8 L6, 7 Goals and 0 Assists so far in his Villa career.

Villa extend their unbeaten Premier League run to seven games but are held by Liverpool at Anfield.

Fabio Aurelio's 72' own goal is Villa's 7,000th in league football. Only Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United and Liverpool have also achieved this feat.

Villa are now unbeaten in 7 League games and sit 6th in the table under Martin O'Neill.

Martin Laursen contributes his 10th goal involvement on his 50th start in a Villa shirt (52 Appearances) to make it W20 D20 L12, 7 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Marlon Harewood makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (2 Starts) to make it W5 D3 L2, 3 Goals, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa, unbeaten in eight, climb to 5th in the Premier League table under Martin O'Neill.

Nigel Reo-Coker makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W12 D7 L6, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 9 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa suffer a shock defeat to lowly Fulham and end an eight game unbeaten run under Martin O'Neill that had moved them into 5th place. 

Wilfred Bouma makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (72 Starts) to make it W26 D24 L25, 3 Assists and 6 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa bounce back from their first defeat in nine Premier League games to see off Newcastle at Villa Park with a fine attacking display,

Villa win for the first time in four under Martin O'Neill to remain in 6th place.

John Carew scores his first hat-trick in a Villa shirt on his 32nd appearance to make it W12 D11 L9, 12 Goals, 4 Assists and 5 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.00 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Wilfred Bouma scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on his 76th appearance (73 Starts) to make it W27 D24 L25, 1 Goal, 3 Assists and 6 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Shaun Maloney contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 27th appearance (13 Starts) to make it W12 D8 L7, 7 Goals and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Villa secure successive wins to remain 6th in the table, level on points with Liverpool and are now just three off fourth place under Martin O’Neill.

Villa now have just one defeat in eleven Premier League games under Martin O'Neill as they see off Reading at the Madejski.

Scott Carson makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W13 D6 L6, 3 Assists, 31 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.24 goals per game, 7 Clean Sheets (28%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa concede a 90'+3 goal as Arsenal hold them to a draw in a game they had looked certain to win at the Emirates but it is now just one defeat in thirteen Premier League games for Martin O'Neill's side. 

Villa remain in 6th place and now had just one defeat in the last eleven Premier League games under Martin O'Neill.

Wilfred Bouma makes his 75th start in a Villa shirt (78 Appearances) to make it W28 D25 L25, 1 Goal, 3 Assists and 6 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa are held for the second successive game as they struggle at home to Boro but extend their run to one defeat in fourteen Premier League games under Martin O'Neill.

Villa remain sixth in the table with 9 to play but can only draw with lowly Middlesbrough as the season seems to be taking its toll on some of the players, 

Olof Mellberg comes on as a substitute for the first time in a Villa shirt on his 255th appearance to make it W87 D76 L92, 8 Goals, 6 Assists and 31 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for only the 2nd time in 13 Premier League games as they again can't get to grips with a combination of a tiny, ramshackle ground, a bloke with a bell and some very, very highly remunerated players. As a result Villa fall back to 7th in the table with 8 to play.

Olof Mellberg is sent off on his 256th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W87 D76 L93, 8 Goals, 6 Assists and 33 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a rate of a card every 7 games so far in his Villa career.

Having lost once in their previous fourteen Premier League games, Villa lose consecutive matches as form wobbles under Martin O'Neill with seven games left to play and a top six finish the target.

A late goal earn struggling Sunderland their first away win of the season and leaves Villa with successive defeats under Martin O'Neill for the first time since December.

Gareth Barry makes his 385th appearance in a Villa shirt (370 Starts) to make it W143 D110 L132, 38 Goals, 40 Assists, 53 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa's form unravels further as they are beaten by leaders Manchester United to leave them with three consecutive Premier League defeats.

Villa lose a third consecutive game for the first time since December 2006 and drop back to 8th place in the table. 

Shaun Maloney, 25, makes his 33rd and final appearance in a Villa shirt (18 Starts) before moving on to Celtic for a fee £2,790,000 in August 2008 - the club he had joined from January 2007 for a fee of £1,350,000. Maloney would leave with a record of W13 D10 L10, 7 Goals, and 1 Assist at a rate of 1 goal involvement for every 4.12 games he played.

Villa bounce back from three successive defeats to hammer Bolton at Villa Park and move back into 7th place in the Premier League table.

The Gareth Barry Show. Against a team that had caused Villa so much pain in recent seasons, Gareth Barry scored two and created two to end a run of three successive defeats under Martin O'Neill. 

Winger Wayne Routledge, 23, makes his debut after having joined from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £1,530,000 in January 2008 to become the 806th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Scott Carson keeps his 8th clean sheet and his first in 19 games in a Villa shirt on his 31st appearance to make it W14 D8 L9, 3 Assists, 40 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.29 goals per game, 8 Clean Sheets (26%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Marlon Harewood scores his 5th goal in a Villa shirt on his 20th appearance (3 Starts) to make it W8 D6 L6, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it ten goals in two games without conceding as their late season wobble is truly over with a magnificent six goal thrashing of Derby at Pride Park.

Villa hit six in a league game for the first time since beating Wimbledon 7-1 in February 1995 and in their first away league game since beating Oldham Athletic 6-0 in November 1971.

Gabriel Agbonlahor scores his 20th goal in a Villa shirt on his 87th appearance (80 Starts) to make it W30 D29 L28, 20 Goals, 11 Assists and 6 Bookings.

Scott Carson secures his 15th win in a Villa shirt on his 32nd appearance to make it W15 D8 L9, 3 Assists, 40 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.25 goals per game, 9 Clean Sheets (28%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Patrik Berger secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 30th appearance (9 Starts) to make it W10 D8 L12, 2 Goals, 4 Assists and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa chalk up fifteen goals in three Premier League games as Birmingham are humiliated at Villa Park against a rampant Martin O'Neill side that could have had double figures.

Villa rise back to 6th in the table with three to play.

Villa complete the double over Birmingham for the third time in the last 6 seasons in which the clubs have met in League footballl.

Villa have now won 4 consecutive matches against their neighbours and make it 10 wins and 2 draws in their last 16 meetings dating back to 1987.

Olof Mellberg contributes his 15th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 260th appearance (259 Starts) to make it W90 D76 L94, 8 Goals, 7 Assists, 33 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Ashley Young scores his 10th goal in a Villa shirt on his 49th appearance (46 Starts) to make it W20 D16 L13, 10 Goals, 17 Assists and 6 Bookings.

Martin Laursen secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 64th appearance (62 Starts) to make it W25 D23 L16, 7 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Zat Knight makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (23 Starts) to make it W10 D8 L7, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Marlon Harewood secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 22nd appearance (3 Starts) to make it W10 D6 L6, 6 Goals, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa score twice in the last ten minutes to earn a draw with Everton to keep themselves in sixth place in the Premier League table and in the fight for the European places.

Villa, unbeaten in four, underline the transformation under Martin O'Neill as they secure a battling draw at European qualification rivals Everton despite going behind twice.

John Carew contributes his 20th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 42nd appearance to make it W16 D14 L12, 16 Goals, 4 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.10 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Ashley Young makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (47 Starts) to make it W20 D17 L13, 10 Goals, 17 Assists and 7 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.85 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Villa suffer a shock defeat to lowly Wigan in the penultimate game of the Premier League season and the final match at Villa Park yet remain in 6th place in the table under Martin O'Neill.

Not for the first time this season Villa unexpectedly lose a game they would have expected to win and as a result, although they remain 6th, they lose ground in the race for European qualification. 

Yet for all the disappointment it just served to underline how far the team had come under Martin O'Neill since Villa's 'difficult' 2002-2006 period. 

Patrik Berger, 34, makes his 33rd and final appearance for Villa (9 Starts) before moving on to Sparta Prague on a free transfer in July 2008. Although Berger joined the Villa at the end of his career in a free transfer from Portsmouth at the age of 31 he proved an excellent resource when called upon but he would go on to blot his copybook when he appeared to encourage Gareth Barry to leave for Liverpool leading to Martin O’Neill immediately ending his Villa career and any chance of a contract extension. Berger left with a record of W10 D9 L13, 2 Goals, 4 Assists and 2 Bookings.

Zat Knight makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (27 Appearances) to make it W10 D9 L8, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa close out a strong season under Martin O'Neill with a draw at Upton Park and a sixth placed finish in the Premier League. Meanwhile Villa great Olof Mellberg makes his final appearance for the club in an emotional farewell.

Villa finish a largely excellent season in 6th place with an early start to 2008-09 promised in the Intertoto. 

The progress made under Martin O'Neill had been huge and the on-field performances were at times unlike anything produced by Villa since Brian Little's 90's team. 

All good things have to come to an end however and Villa faced the next campaign knowing they would no longer have one of their greats in the side.

Villa’s legendary centre back Olof Mellberg, 30, makes his 263rd and final appearance in a Villa shirt (262 Starts) before moving on to Juventus in July 2008 on a free transfer. Few players have ever ‘got’ Villa and their fans in the way Mellberg did, a leader on and off the pitch who left the club too early but the club did not leave him. Mellberg would leave with a record of W90 D78 L95, 8 Goals, 7 Assists, 34 Bookings and 1 Red Card across his 7 seasons with the club. Had Mellberg had better managers and a more stable club between Gregory and O’Neill the sky would have been the limit for one of the great Villa captains.

Goalkeeper Scott Carson, 22, makes his 36th and final appearance in a Villa shirt before returning to parent club Liverpool at the end of this season long loan. Carson would leave with a record of W16 D10 L10, 3 Assists, 47 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.31 goals per game, 9 Clean Sheets (25%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card. Carson had kept 7 clean sheets in his first 11 games for the club.

Nigel Reo-Coker contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 39th appearance to make it W17 D11 L11, 1 Goal, 4 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Marlon Harewood makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (3 Starts) to make it W10 D8 L7, 6 Goals, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Meanwhile off the pitch Martin O'Neill has informed Patrik Berger that he will no longer "be part of proceedings" and would not have his contract renewed after his comments to the media.