2008-09

Villa open the season after a break of just two months as they travel to Denmark for the Intertoto Cup and concede a last minute equaliser to leave the tie in the balance.

Villa face Odense Boldklub for the first time in competitive football, Odense become the 151st team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 34th continental European opponents and their first from Denmark.

Midfielder Steve Sidwell makes his Villa debut aged 25 after joining from Chelsea for a fee of £5,670,000 earlier this month to become the 807th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Ashley Young makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (53 Appearances) to make it W20 D19 L14, 11 Goals, 19 Assists and 18 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.76 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa finish the job over Odense as epic failure Djemba-Djemba returns to Villa Park with his new club.

Right back Wilfred Bouma, 30, suffers a Villa career ending injury that would keep him on the sidelines for 12 months only to be ignored for selection on his recovery. Bouma would return to PSV Eindhoven in August 2010, an outstanding right back whose injuries limited his appearances for Villa meant he left with a record of 90 Appearances (87 Starts), W32 D29 L29, 1 Goal, 3 Assists and 7 Bookings - far less than his talent should have allowed. 

Goalkeeper Stuart Taylor, 27, makes his 17th and final appearance for Villa aged 27 before moving on to Manchester City on a free transfer in July 2009. Taylor left with a record of W4 D8 L5, 24 Goals Conceded at 1.41 goals per game and 3 Clean Sheets.

Stiliyan Petrov secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 67th appearance (60 Starts) to make it W25 D23 L19, 3 Goals, 1 Assist and 7 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa face Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar for the first time in competitive football, Hafnarfjarðar become the 152nd team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 35th continental European opponents and their second from Iceland after their meeting with Valur Reykavik in their 1981-82 European Cup winning campaign.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel, 37, makes his Villa debut after joining from Blackburn Rovers for £2,250,000 in July 2008 to become the 808th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Left back Nicky Shorey, 27, makes his Villa debut after joining from Reading for a fee of £3,960,000 earlier this monthto become the 809th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Forward Nathan Delfouneso, 17, makes his Villa debut as a substitute after coming through the ranks as a schoolboy before signing professional forms in July 2008 to become the 810th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Craig Gardner makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (33 Starts) to make it W20 D13 L17, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 7 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa open the 2008-09 Premier League campaign with a fine win over pretenders City as Gabriel Agbonlahor hits a seven minute hat-trick and Luke Young makes his debut.

Right back Luke Young makes his Villa debut aged 29 after joining from Middlesbrough for a fee of £2,700,000 earlier this month to become the 811th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Gabriel Agbonlahor scores a hat-trick to pass 25 goals in a Villa shirt on his 95th appearance (88 Starts) and make it W34 D32 L29, 26 Goals, 11 Assists and 6 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Curtis Davies contributes his first assist in a Villa shirt on his 16th appearance (13 Starts) to make it W9 D4 L3, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Martin O'Neill's Villa suffer a shock defeat to a bunch of hod carriers in football shirts to fall back to 7th in the table.

Martin Laursen scores his 10th goal on his 70th start in a Villa shirt (72 Appearances) to make it W28 D26 L18, 10 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa face Hafnarfjarðar in the return leg of the UEFA Cup qualifier and are held after leading for three minutes.

Martin O'Neill's changes see Villa struggle against their opponents but with qualification never in danger after the first leg a UEFA Cup 1st Round place is theirs.

Villa are held by Liverpool as James Milner makes his debut following his permanent move to the club with Martin O'Neill's first XI looking Villa's strongest for well over a decade.

James Milner makes his debut after returning to the club following his loan season under David O'Leary in 2005-06. James Milner joined from Newcastle United for a fee of £13,500,000 earlier this month to finally continue his Villa career with his 34th appearance and first as substitute to make it W13 D9 L12, 3 Goals, 9 Assists and 4 Bookings.

Brad Friedel keeps his first clean sheet in a Villa shirt on his 5th appearance to make it W3 D2 L0, 7 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.40 goals per game and 1 Clean Sheet (20%) so far in his Villa career.

Villa win their second League game of the season and have now taken points off top 6 rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham to move to 4th in the table.

John Carew score his 20th goal in a Villa shirt on his 50th appearance to make it W19 D17 L7, 20 Goals, 5 Assists and 8 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.00 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Curtis Davies secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 20th appearance (17 Starts) to make it W10 D6 L4, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Future Villa man Darren Bent scores Spurs' consolation.

Martin O'Neill changes policy and names a broadly representative side for the UEFA Cup. 

Villa travel to Bulgaria for the UEFA Cup first round and open up a commanding lead as Reo-Coker scores for the second game in succession.

Villa face PFC Litex Lovech for the first time in competitive football, Lovech become the 153rd team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 36th continental European opponents and their first from Bulgaria.

Centre back Carlos Cuéllar makes his Villa debut aged 27 after joining from Glasgow Rangers for a fee of £9,000,000 in August 2008 to become the 812th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Gareth Barry makes his 400th appearance for Villa as they beat nine men opponents to take three away goals into the second leg. 

Gabriel Agbonlahor makes his 100th appearance in a Villa shirt (93 Starts) to make it W36 D34 L30, 26 Goals, 11 Assists and 7 Bookings.

Brad Friedel concedes his 10th goal in a Villa shirt on his 8th appearance to make it W6 D2 L0, 10 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.25 goals per game and 0 Clean Sheets so far in his Villa career.

Martin Laursen secures his 30th win on his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (73 Starts) to make it W30 D27 L18, 10 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it three wins and a draw in five Premier League games as the Baggies are dispatched on their own patch.

Villa's solid start to the campaign continues as an Albion side with Scott Carson and Luke Moore are dispatched at the Hawthorns to make it 3 League wins in 5 and stay 4th in the early Premier League table.

Stiliyan Petrov secures his 30th win in a Villa shirt on his 74th appearance (67 Starts) to make it W30 D24 L20, 4 Goals, 1 Assist and 8 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Ashley Young secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 60th appearances (57 Starts) to make it W25 D20 L15, 14 Goals, 25 Assists and 10 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.54 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

John Carew secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 51st appearance to make it W20 D17 L14, 21 Goals, 5 Assists and 9 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.96 games he has played so far in his Villa career. 

Brad Friedel concedes his 10th goal in a Villa shirt on his 8th appearance to make it W6 D2 L0, 10 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.25 goals per game and 1 Clean Sheet (12.5%) so far in his Villa career.

After making six changes, Villa lose to Championship side QPR in the League Cup without scoring.

Goalkeeper Brad Guzan who joined from CD Chivas for £900,000 in August, makes his Villa debut to become the 813th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Stiliyan Petrov makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (68 Starts) to make it W30 D24 L21, 4 Goals, 1 Assist and 8 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Isaiah Osbourne makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (13 Starts) to make it W5 D9 L11, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa bounce back from their League Cup disappointment to win their third successive League game and rise to 3rd in the Premier League.

Villa win their seventh game of twelve in all competitions and their third consecutive Premier League match as Sunderland become the latest victims of the Carew & Young partnership.

Ashley Young scores his 15th goal in a Villa shirt on his 62nd appearances (57 Starts) to make it W26 D20 L16, 15 Goals, 25 Assists and 10 Bookings  at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.55 games played so far in his Villa career.

Martin Laursen makes his 75th start in a Villa shirt (77 Appearances) to make it W32 D27 L18, 10 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Nigel Reo-Coker makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W24 D14 L12, 3 Goals, 4 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa entertain Litex but can only draw for the second home European game in succession yet still qualify for the second round thanks to their aggregate victory.

Once again Martin O'Neill's cup changes see Villa struggle but their first leg result is enough to see them progress to the UEFA Cup Group Stages. 

Wayne Routledge makes his final appearance for Villa aged 23 before moving on to Queens Park Rangers for a fee of £603,000 in January 2009. Routledge had only joined Villa from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2008 for a fee of £1,530,000 making 8 appearances, 6 as substitute during his 12 months with Villa and a record of W3 D3 L2.

Brad Friedel makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W8 D2 L0, 11 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.10 goals per game and 1 Clean Sheet (10%) so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose to leaders Chelsea for only their second League defeat of the season and sit 5th in the table under Martin O'Neill.

Stiliyan Petrov collects his 10th booking in a Villa shirt on his 78th appearance (71 Starts) to make it W31 D25 L22, 4 Goals, 2 Assists and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa can only draw with Premier League over-spenders Portsmouth as Peter Crouch returns to Villa Park.

Villa fail to score for the second successive game to leave them with 2 defeats in 8 under Martin O'Neill and 6th place in the table.

Luke Young makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (9 Starts) to make it W5 D3 L2 and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa beat footballing great Marco van Basten's Ajax featuring Gabri, Huntelaar and Luis Suárez to win their opening game in UEFA Cup Group F.

Villa face AFC Ajax for the first time in competitive football, Ajax become the 154th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 37th continental European opponents and their first from Holland.

Villa bounce back from their mini League wobble with a resilient victory against Ajax at Villa Park in one of the best European nights since the Inter Milan victories of the 90's.

Curtis Davies makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (21 Starts) to make it W13 D7 L5, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Nigel Reo-Coker secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 53rd appearance to make it W25 D15 L13, 3 Goals, 4 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa destroy future Villa boss Steve Bruce's Wigan  on their own patch against a side littered with former Birmingham players, to make it five wins in nine Premier League games and 5th in the table.

Gabriel Agbonlahor contributes his 40th goal involvement to secure his 40th win in a Villa shirt on his 107th appearance (99 Starts) to make it W40 D35 L32, 28 Goals, 12 Assists and 9 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Brad Friedel secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 14th appearance to make it W10 D3 L1, 15 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.07 goals per game and 3 Clean Sheets (21%) so far in his Villa career.

James Milner contributes his 1st assist since his return to the club (10 Appearances) to make it 43 appearances in a Villa shirt (38 Starts), W19 D11 L13, 3 Goals, 10 Assists and 4 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 3.31 games played so far in his Villa career however it had proven a slow start to his return with a record of Played 10, 5 Starts, 0 Goals and 1 Assist under Martin O’Neill so far.

Steve Sidwell makes his 3rd appearance in a Villa shirt four months after his 2nd to make it W2 D1 L0 and 1 Goal so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it consecutive League wins and six in the first ten of the Premier League campaign as Luke Young scores his first for the club.

Gabriel Agbonlahor makes his 100th start in a Villa shirt (108 Appearances) to make it W41 D35 L32, 29 Goals, 12 Assists and 7 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Stiliyan Petrov makes his 75th start in a Villa shirt (82 Starts) to make it W34 D26 L22, 4 Goals, 2 Assists and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Luke Young scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on his 13th appearance (12 Starts) to make it W8 D3 L2, 1 Goal and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Nicky Shorey contributes his first assist in a Villa shirt on his 14th appearance to make it W9 D2 L3, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa suffer a shock defeat to lowly Newcastle losing for only the 3rd time in 11 games under Martin O'Neill to fall back to 5th missing out on the chance to elevate themselves into the Premier League top three.

Villa make it two wins from two in UEFA Cup Group F as they take another step towards progression to the Round of 32.

Villa face SK Slavia Prague for the first time in competitive football, Slavia become the 155th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 38th continental European opponents and their third from the Czech Republic after their meetings with Baník Ostrava and FK Příbram in previous campaigns.

Brad Guzan keeps his first clean sheet in a Villa shirt on his 2nd appearance to make it W1 D0 L1, 1 Goal Conceded and 1 Clean Sheet. 

John Carew contributes his 30th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 59th appearance (57 Starts) to make it W24 D18 L17, 24 Goals, 6 Assists and 9 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.90 starts he has made so far in his Villa career. 

Steve Sidwell contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 6th appearance to make it W4 D1 L1, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Craig Gardner secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 58th appearance (37 Starts) to make it W25 D15 L18, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose consecutive top flight games for the first time this season.

James Milner contributes his 3rd assist in 4 games and 3rd assist since his return to the club (13 Appearances) to make it 46 appearances in a Villa shirt (41 Starts), W20 D11 L15, 3 Goals, 12 Assists and 5 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 3.06 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa follow up their two shock defeats with an excellent win at Arsenal with the positive attacking prowess of Martin O'Neill's side sweeping aside Wenger's Gunners.

Gabriel Agbonlahor scores his 30th goal in a Villa shirt on his 112th appearances (104 Starts) to make it W43 D35 L34, 30 Goals, 12 Assists and 8 Bookings.

Martin Laursen contributes his 15th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 85th appearance (83 Starts) to make it W36 D28 L21, 11 Goals, 4 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa are held at home by Manchester United and prevent Martin O'Neill's side climbing into the Premier League top three.

Villa keep up their form against their top six rivals under Martin O'Neill having taken points off Arsenal, Liverpool and now Manchester United to climb back to 4th place in the Premier League.

Brad Friedel keeps his 5th clean sheet in a Villa shirt on his 19th appearance to make it W12 D3 L3, 21 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.10 goals per game, 5 Clean Sheets (26%) and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa record a second consecutive goal-less draw as they once again fail to beat inferior opposition and miss out on the chance to elevate themselves into the Premier League top three. As a result Villa now have one win in the last five League matches and drop to fifth place.

Villa's struggles against the lesser teams, which had become one of the few criticisms of Martin O'Neill's reign, struck again as they missed the opportunity to move into the top three.

Brad Friedel plays his 167th consecutive Premier League game - a new record - on his 15th appearance in a Villa shirt (10 League Games) during which time he has W11 D3 L1, 17 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.13 goals per game and 3 Clean Sheets.

Villa suffer their first UEFA Cup setback of the campaign after Martin O'Neill's mass changes don't work out once again but Villa still progress to the Round of 32 with a game still to play.

Villa carry their indifferent League form to Slovakia and lose to Žilina after a much changed line up falls two behind after twenty minutes and are unable to recover.

Villa play their 5,000th game in League and Cup football.

Villa face MŠK Žilina for the first time in competitive football, Žilina become the 156th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 39th continental European opponents and their second from Slovakia after ŠK Slovan Bratislava in their 1993-94 UEFA Cup campaign.

Ashley Young makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (72 Starts) to make it W31 D24 L20, 15 Goals, 29 Assists and 12 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

James Milner makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W21 D13 L16, 3 Goals, 12 Assists and 5 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 3.33 games played so far in his Villa career.

Nathan Delfouneso scores his first goal on his 4th start in a Villa shirt (4 Appearances) to make it W2 D1 L1, 1 Goal and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Marlon Harewood contributes his 10th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 36th appearance (8 Starts) to make it W14 D10 L12, 7 Goals, 3 Assists and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Moustapha Salifou makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (4 Starts) to make it W5 D2 L3 so far in his Villa career.

Villa record one of their greatest away victories - scoring in the first and last seconds of the match - to deny a hostile crowd and opposition with class, dynamism and a cheeky bit of humour. 

Villa win at the last in one of the most astonishing games for many a season as the spiteful Joleon Lescott raises his hate level to such a degree that the Villa players - en masse - have only one response. Villa remain in fifth to leave Goodison with the points and their dignity, unlike some.

Joleon Lescott, a player who would later spectacularly fail at Villa Park, and a boyhood Villa fan, taunted Villa's players and fans alike as he dragged his Everton side back into the game on two occasions but it was the "World class" Ashley Young that stole the headlines and the points.

Luke Young secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 19th appearance (18 Starts) to make it W10 D5 L4, 1 Goal and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it consecutive League wins for the first time since October as they climb to fourth in the table. 

Ashley Young contributes his 30th assist in a Villa shirt on his 77th appearance (74 Starts) to make it W33 D24 L20, 18 Goals, 30 Assists and 12 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.60 games played so far in his Villa career.

Martin Laursen contributes his 5th assist in a Villa shirt on his 89th appearance (87 Starts) to make it W38 D30 L21, 11 Goals, 5 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Carlos Cuéllar secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 18th appearance (15 Starts) to make it W10 D3 L5 and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Brad Friedel concedes his 25th goal in a Villa shirt on his 22md appearance to make it W14 D5 L3, 25 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.14 goals per game, 6 Clean Sheets (27%) and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Martin O'Neill once again sends a second string line up into action in Europe and they once again lose but qualification is secured due to results elsewhere and a UEFA Cup Round of 32 berth is Villa's.

Villa face Hamburger SV for the first time in competitive football, Hamburg become the 157th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 40th continental European opponents and their third from Germany after Berliner FC Dynamo and Bayern Munich in their 1981-82 European Cup winning campaign.

Martin O'Neill's 'Cup side' lose again in Europe but qualification to the Group of 32 is safe despite successive defeats for the weakened side.

Barry Bannan makes his Villa debut as a substitute aged 19 after coming through the schoolboy ranks following his move from Celtic in July 2004 to become the 814th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Steve Sidwell is sent off on his 13th appearance in a Villa shirt (10 Starts) to make it W7 D3 L3, 3 Goals, 1 Assist, 5 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a rate of a card every 2.16 games so far in his Villa career.

Moustapha Salifou contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 11th appearance (5 Starts) to make it W5 D2 L4 and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Villa luck into a win at West Ham as the adage of 'Champions finding a way to win even when they play badly' adds to the excitement around the team Martin O'Neill built. Villa climb into the Premier League top three for the first time since September.

Villa make it three successive League wins and are unbeaten in six Premier League games to move 3rd in the table after 18 games.

Ashley Young makes his 75th start in a Villa shirt (78 Appearances) to make it W33 D24 L20, 18 Goals, 30 Assists and 12 Bookings.

Villa hammer Arsenal for the second time this season but have to settle for a draw -  needing Zat Knight's first goal for the club in injury time to equalise. Villa drop back to fourth, three points ahead of their opponents with a run of very winnable games against Hull, West Brom, Sunderland, Portsmouth and Wigan coming up as the excitement of a potential championship challenge continues to build.

Villa recover from going 2 goals down against the run of play to make it 7 games unbeaten under Maritn O'Neill, during which time they've recorded 4 wins, to sit 4th in the table at the half way stage of the Premier League season.

Zat Knight clinches the equaliser with his 2nd goal in a Villa shirt on his 37th appearance (35 Starts) to make it W12 D14 L11, 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa end the year eight games unbeaten, with five wins and fourth place in the League. Crucially Villa carry that momentum into the new year with a UEFA Cup campaign to look forward to and Champions League qualification on the cards. Indeed the only concern in Martin O'Neill's transformation of Villa is the strength of the squad outside the first XI as O'Neill's experimental Cup sides have repeatedly shown. Keeping clear of injuries, and maintaining form of key players could see a genuine top 4 tilt as 2009 beckoned with Villa in better shape than at any time in the last decade.

Brad Friedel makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W16 D6 L3, 27 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.08 goals per game, 8 Clean Sheets (32%) and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Nigel Reo-Coker secures his 30th win in a Villa shirt on his 64th appearance (62 Starts) to make it W30 D17 L17, 3 Goals, 4 Assists, 13 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Curtis Davies secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 36th appearance (31 Starts) to make it W20 D10 L6, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa narrowly beat League Two side Gillingham in the FA Cup third round against angry opponents thanks to two James Milner goals.

Villa navigate a tricky FA Cup tie to open the year with a win and are now unbeaten in 9 in domestic competition with 6 wins under Martin O'Neill.

James Milner scores a brace for his 5th goal in a Villa shirt - and his first since returning to the club 23 games previously - on his 50th start (56 Appearances) to make it W26 D14 L16, 5 Goals, 13 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 3.33 games played so far in his Villa career. Milner now had 2 Goals and 4 assists in 23 games under Martin O’Neill compared with 3 goals and 9 assists during his 33 game spell under David O’Leary.

Stiliyan Petrov secures his 40th win in a Villa shirt on his 91st appearance (84 Starts) to make it W40 D29 L22, 4 Goals, 4 Assists and 12 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa, unbeaten in nine, winning six, see off bottom club Albion to open the year with successive wins and remain 4th in the Premier League. 

Martin Laursen makes his final appearance for the club aged 31 before retiring from football due to injury. Laursen had proved a colossus at the back for Villa striking up an impressive partnership with fellow legend Olof Mellberg. Sadly Laursen suffered a number of spells on the sidelines through injury during his Villa career and so between 2004-05 and 2008-09 he made only 91 appearances - far less than his talent should have allowed. Laursen wasn’t just a defender however, he was a real goalscoring threat hitting 12 goals including 7 in one season. A special player with a special connection with the club and fans, Villa were lucky to have had him.

Luke Young makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (24 Starts) to make it W14 D6 L5, 1 Goal and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa find a way to win again, despite conceding early and having Ashley Young sent off, they make it ten unbeaten, seven wins and fourth place.

Villa extend their League unbeaten run to ten and seven wins as they win away at the Stadium of Light despite Ashley Young's sending off. Villa remain in 4th place, one point off the top three.

Ashley Young is sent off for the first time in a Villa shirt on his 83rd appearance (80th Start) to make it W38 D25 L20, 19 Goals, 31 Assists, 12 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Gabriel Agbonlahor collects his 10th booking in a Villa shirt on his 122nd appearance (113 Starts) to make it W49 D38 L35, 33 Goals, 14 Assists and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Luke Young makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (26 Appearances) to make it W15 D6 L5, 1 Goal and 5 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa extend their League unbeaten run to eleven and eight wins as they leave Fratton Park with the points thanks to Emile Heskey's debut goal. Could Martin O'Neill be the man to get the mercurial front man scoring and send Villa to the title? Villa sit one point off joint second place with Liverpool, Chelsea and League leaders Manchester United in their sights.

Emile Heskey scores on debut to beat Portsmouth and leave Villa unbeaten in eleven, winning eight and secure in fourth place. Heskey's arrival, from Wigan Athletic for a fee of £3,330,000, added much needed strength and experience to a squad whose bench often looked one or two leagues below the standard of the first team.

Gabriel Agbonlahor secures his 50th win in a Villa shirt on his 124th appearances (115 Starts) to make it W50 D39 L35, 33 Goals, 15 Assists and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa extend their League unbeaten run to twelve but can only draw with future Villa boss Steve Bruce's Wigan to remain in fourth place after twenty four games missing the chance to move into second.

Gabriel Agbonlahor makes his 125th appearance in a Villa shirt (116 Starts) to make it W50 D40 L35, 33 Goals, 15 Assists and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Carlos Cuéllar makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (21 Starts) to make it W14 D5 L6 and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa see off Doncaster to progress in the FA Cup against the sad backdrop of the loss of Villa cult hero Paul Birch earlier in the week.

John Carew scores his 25th goal to secure his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 62nd appearance (58 Starts) to make it W25 D20 L17, 25 Goals, 6 Assists and 9 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.87 starts he has made so far in his Villa career. 

Curtis Davies secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 43rd appearance (38 Starts) to make it W25 D12 L6, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Steve Sidwell contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 22nd appearance (18 Starts) to make it W14 D5 L3, 4 Goals, 1 Assist, 6 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career at a goal involvement rate of one every 4.40 games played so far in his Villa career.

Former Villa forward Darren Byfield makes a rare appearance against his boyhood club.

Villa make it 13 League games unbeaten - their best run since the title winning season of 1898 under George Ramsay - having won 9 to lift them to 3rd in the table as belief starts to build that this might be the year.

James Milner contributes his 20th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 62 appearances (56 Starts) to make it W30 D16 L16, 7 Goals, 13 Assists and 7 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 3.10 games played so far in his Villa career.

Martin O'Neill names a strong line up for a Cup competition but Villa run out of steam after 40 games by mid February and are beaten by Everton in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Villa lose for the first time in 17 domestic matches and are knocked out of the FA Cup, and so the double is off the menu for 2008-09.

James Milner scores his 5th goal in 8 games having scored 3 in his previous 55 to make it 63 appearances (57 Starts), W30 D16 L17, 8 Goals, 13 Assists and 8 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 3.00 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa fall behind to a Vágner Love goal in the home leg of the UEFA Cup Round of 32 before John Carew hits an equaliser with everything to play for in the second leg as a Quarter Final berth beckons. 

Villa face CSKA Moscow for the first time in competitive football, CSKA become the 158th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 41st continental European opponents and their second from Russia after their meeting with Spartak Moscow in their 1982-83 European Cup campaign.

Martin O'Neill resisted the temptation to field his 'Cup' side but there were murmurs of consternation around the goalkeeping change and the absence of Brad Friedel, James Milner, Carlos Cuéllar and Emile Heskey as Villa embarked on a tough tie. A draw and the concession of an away goal set Villa up for a tough away leg if they were to progress in Europe and a strong 1st XI was essential.

Stiliyan Petrov collects his 15th booking in a Villa shirt on his 99th appearance (92 Starts) to make it W44 D32 L23, 4 Goals, 4 Assists and 15 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa return to League action for the first time in three and their thirteen game unbeaten run comes to an end as they fall to third placed Chelsea to sit a point behind the victors in fourth place.

Villa lose for the first time in 14 Premier League games under Martin O'Neill and fall back to fourth in the table as Chelsea overtake them courtesy of their one goal victory.

Stiliyan Petrov makes his 100th appearance in a Villa shirt (93 Starts) to make it W44 D32 L24, 4 Goals, 4 Assists and 15 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

THE GAME THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING Martin O'Neill causes controversy in real time as he selects arguably the most unrepresentative line up in Villa's history outside of war time football to take to the field in Moscow. Unsurprisingly this mix of fringe, third choice and youth players come unstuck and Villa's chance of more European glory is thrown away.

It had happened before of course, in fact it was a relative novelty for Martin O’Neill to play anything approaching a full strength line up in a Cup game as he had done earlier in the month at Everton. The FA Cup was one thing but the UEFA Cup was another. Perhaps giddy with success in the League - Villa were third at the time - O’Neill gambled and .... lost. 

For the away leg in Moscow however O’Neill took “fielding a weakened team to new heights.” With all due respect to the players involved this wasn’t weakened, it was surrender. Of course if Villa had gone on to secure a 3rd place or better finish in the League it would have been a gamble that paid off. At the time, and subsequently however, it was at best a gamble that hadn’t worked and at worst an insult. 

Of the 16 players O’Neill named in the squad, three had yet to make their debuts, two had made 6 starts, one had made 4 starts, another just 3 this season. Yet another had appeared just once as a substitute, another hadn’t been selected in the squad for over 6 months, one had played in just 4 of the last 17 games, and one was a centre forward who had scored just once all season. 

Martin O’Neill spoke of “decisions not taken lightly” but regardless a wrong decision was obvious and the performance of the Cup side through the season to date had shown as much. 

If a first chink in the armour of the Martin O’Neill armour had been exposed a year earlier by the sale of Gary Cahill, this second chink opened a gaping hole that would take some real mending. 

Centre forward Marlon Harewood, 29, makes his 40th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (9 Starts) before moving on to Blackpool on a free transfer in July 2010. O’Neill had signed Harewood just 18 months before his final appearance for £4,950,000 and he went on to record W16 D10 L14, 7 Goals, 3 Assists and 2 Bookings across his time with Villa.

Midfielder Moustapha Salifou, 25, makes his 13th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (7 Starts) but would remain with the club until June 2011, 4 years after he joined and 2 and a half years after his final appearance. Villa had paid FC Wil 1900 £450,000 for his services and his record on leaving was W6 D2 L5 and 1 Assist. After leaving Villa, Salifou spent 8 months with German fourth tier side 1.FC Saarbrücken but was then without a club for 20 months before 4 months with another 4th Division side TSV 1860 Rosenheim ahead of another 13 months out of the game since when he has joined German fifth tier side Türkspor Augsburg. 

Winger Marc Albrighton makes his Villa debut aged 19 despite having yet to sign professional forms with the club. Something he would do in July 2009, 5 months after his premature debut, having come through the ranks as a schoolboy to become the 816th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Albrighton wouldn’t play again for Villa this season, neither would midfielder Barry Bannan who also made his first start for the club. Stuart Taylor would not appear on the bench again and Brad Guzan would only make one further substitute appearance this season. 

In addition Defenders Shane Lowry and Chris Herd would neither make their debuts or appear on the substitute bench again this season and £5,670,000 signing Steve Sidwell would only feature for Villa once more this season in the final game of the campaign. 

In total then of the 16 players O’Neill selected for this fateful game, 10 saw their Villa careers interrupted or ended completely.

Brad Guzan concedes his 10th goal in a Villa shirt on his 7th appearance to make it W2 D1 L4, 10 Goals Conceded, 1 Clean Sheet and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Nicky Shorey makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (23 Starts) in ‘that’ Moscow game despite having not made a League start since November 9th. Shorey’s contribution in the Russian capital makes it W10 D2 L5, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Despite taking a two goal lead Martin O'Neill's European gamble fails at the first hurdle as his rested first team concedes an injury time equaliser to future Villa midfielder Glenn Whelan. Off the pitch controversy continues to reign following O'Neill's actions in Moscow.

Martin O'Neill's strategy to focus on the Premier League at the expense of the UEFA Cup was immediately undermined by future Villa cult hero Glenn Whelan's injury time equaliser as Villa remained fourth in the table.

Carlos Cuéllar makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (29 Appearances) to make it W16 D6 L7 and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Stiliyan Petrov contributes his 10th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 101st appearance (94 Starts) to make it W44 D33 L24, 5 Goals, 5 Assists and 15 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the second time in three League games as Martin O'Neill's European gamble continues to spectacularly fail as Villa lose to a Mark Hughes led Manchester City featuring 'talents' of the likes of Ched Evans. As a result Villa remain in 4th but are now six points behind joint second placed Chelsea and Liverpool and thirteen behind leaders Manchester United further placing O'Neill's decision making in the spotlight.

Villa's wobble becomes a wave as Martin O'Neill's team are without a win in six, losing four, out of the UEFA Cup and with one point of a possible nine in the Premier League having come off a run of nine wins in thirteen League games unbeaten. Villa had now played 45 games and perhaps inevitably, a small squad, with only 12 genuine first team quality players, was struggling under the demands of such an extended campaign.

Curtis Davies makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (45 Starts) to make it W26 D14 L10, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

The post European surrender fall out continues as Villa lose for the second successive game and fall to fifth - their lowest League position since December - with a tilt at the title gone just three games after Martin O'Neill staked European glory and his reputation on delivering just that.

Villa lose for the 3rd time in 4 Premier League games having lost 3 in the previous 19 under Martin O'Neill.

Villa drop to fifth in the table - their lowest position since December.

Zat Knight makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (48 Starts) to make it W16 D18 L16, 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 2 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it three successive defeats, nine conceded and one scored, as a season of such promise comes off the rails and the backlash against Martin O'Neill continues to play out.

Villa have now failed to win in eight games, losing six, conceding 21 and scoring 5.

Brad Friedel sets a new club record for the most clean sheets in a single Premier League season with 15. Friedel’s latest clean sheet comes on his 86th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W41 D27 L18, 100 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.16 goals per game, 12 Clean Sheets (31%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career. Friedel's sending off is subsequently rescinded

Brad Guzan makes his first league appearance for Villa on his 8th appearance in a Villa shirt after coming on in place of the dismissed Brad Freidel. By that point Villa would already be 4 down, and Guzan would concede just one more to make it W2 D1 L5, 11 Goals Conceded, 1 Clean Sheet and 1 Booking.

Villa concede a 90'+3 goal to lose a fourth successive game and increase their winless run to nine games but they remain 5th in the table.

Having delivered a thirteen game unbeaten run, winning nine, between 7 December and 7 February, Villa have now lost four consecutive games under Martin O'Neill and five in six in the Premier League since the first leg of the controversial UEFA Cup tie with CSKA. Yet this was far from a regulation defeat as Villa, in the ascendancy throughout, were undone by a freak injury time strike.

Brad Friedel plays his 200th consecutive Premier League game - the first player to do so in the history of the competition.

Gabriel Agbonlahor contributes his 50th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 134th appearance (124 Starts) to make it W51 D42 L41, 35 Goals, 15 Assists and 10 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.68 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Villa end a run of four consecutive defeats but can only draw with a perfunctory Everton side who due to Villa's woeful form since February have closed within one point of Martin O'Neill's side with even Champions League qualification being surrendered by the under pressure Villa boss.

Gabriel Agbonlahor makes his 125th start in a Villa shirt (135 Appearances) to make it W51 D43 L41, 35 Goals, 16 Assists and 10 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Brad Friedel concedes his 50th goal in a Villa shirt on his 40th appearance to make it W21 D10 L9, 50 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.11 goals per game, 12 Clean Sheets (30%), 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa draw for the second successive game and are now without a win in the last eleven games as Villa sink closer to the pack but a run of five easy games are ahead.

Stiliyan Petrov makes his 100th start in a Villa shirt (107 Appearances) to make it W44 D35 L28, 5 Goals, 5 Assists and 16 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

James Milner contributes his 25th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 71st appearance (65 Starts) to make it W30 D19 L22, 9 Goals, 16 Assists and 10 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.84 games played so far in his Villa career.

Craig Gardner makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (46 Starts) to make it W31 D19 L25, 6 Goals, 2 Assists and 11 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Ashley Young receives his 15th booking in a Villa shirt on his 95th appearance (92nd Start) to make it W40 D29 L26, 19 Goals, 31 Assists, 15 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa draw for the third successive game and are now without a win in the last twelve games having been unbeaten, winning nine in the previous thirteen before Martin O'Neill's Moscow surrender. As spectacular as it was undeniable, the failure of O'Neill's strategy meant Villa were now competing for their second sixth place finish in succession, welcome but in the context of the first seven months of the campaign it could have been so much more. 

Ashley Young scores his 20th goal for Villa (and first in 13 games) on his 96th appearance (93rd Start) to make it W40 D30 L26, 20 Goals, 31 Assists, 15 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Emile Heskey contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 10th appearance to make it W2 D4 L4, 2 Goals and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Curtis Davies makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (55 Appearances) to make it W26 D17 L12, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Zat Knight makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (52 Appearances) to make it W16 D20 L16, 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 2 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa end a run of three successive draws to win for the first time in ten Premier League games and with European football secured the season, although disappointing in recent weeks, must be considered a success.

Villa, unbeaten in four under Martin O'Neill, record their first win in ten League games.

John Carew scores his 30th goal in a Villa shirt on his 75th appearance (66 Starts) to make it W27 D25 L23, 30 Goals, 7 Assists and 9 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 1.78 starts he has made so far in his Villa career. 

Villa's poor form continues to leave them with one win in fourteen games in all competitions as they are beaten at Craven Cottage.

Villa lose for the 1st time in 5 to remain 5th with 2 games left to play.

Zat Knight, 29, makes his 54th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (52 Starts) before moving on to Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £4,230,000 in July 2009. Knight left with a record of W17 D20 L17, 2 Goal, 1 Assist, 2 Bookings and 1 Red Card from his 2 seasons with Villa.

Villa can only draw with a Middlesbrough side heading for relegation under Gareth Southgate and now boast a single win in the last fifteen in all competitions and lose fifth place to a workmanlike Everton side having been sitting pretty in third place with thirteen to play before Martin O'Neill's Moscow surrender.

Villa fall back to 6th in the table - their lowest position since October - after their 4th draw in 6 Premier League games under Martin O'Neill.

James Milner makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W31 D21 L23, 9 Goals, 17 Assists and 11 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one every 2.92 games played so far in his Villa career.

Meanwhile, Martin Laursen announces his retirement from football.

Villa end the season with victory to relegate Newcastle and their infamously sobbing fans as Villa finish 6th for a second successive season disappointed that their form to February couldn't have achieved more.

Villa end the season on a high with a second win in four and sixth place in the Premier League having only dropped out of the top five on the penultimate game of the season. Villa’s season had been remarkable in many ways as their form from August to February was scintillating enabling Martin O’Neill’s side to ride to third and spend the vast majority of the season in the top five. Equally remarkable was O’Neill’s penchant for playing weakened teams in Cup matches which ultimately cost Villa progression in the UEFA Cup and set in motion a downturn in results that was scarcely believable. Ultimately Martin O’Neill had built an outstanding first XI but so good was that first choice team, and so poor the wider squad recruitment, that a 45 game season would prove a challenge, let alone a 55 match campaign. When the squad was called upon it inevitably failed to reach the same standards as the first XI and in consequence results suffered. Nothing, not even Martin O’Neill’s Moscow surrender could take away from the first 6 months of the campaign when a top three spot or maybe something better seemed eminently possible. Meanwhile, Villa’s paper thin squad would be further weakened ahead of 2009-10.

Barry’s loss would simply make the required squad improvements even more necessary and inevitably more difficult, having already lost Wilfred Bouma and Martin Laursen to career ending injuries, the Villa 1st XI needed significant support if they were to better 2008-09.

Gareth Barry makes his final appearance for Villa aged 28 before moving on to Manchester City for just £12,510,000 in June 2009. Barry had made his Villa debut as a 17 year old in May 1998 and went on to be the record appearance holder for the club in the modern era.

Ashley Young makes his 100th appearance for the club (97 Starts) to make it W42 D31 L27, 21 Goals, 32 Assists, 15 Bookings and 1 Red Card.

Nigel Reo-Coker makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (68 Starts) to make it W25 D19 L21, 3 Goals, 4 Assists, 15 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Steve Sidwell makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (20 Starts) to make it W15 D5 L5, 4 Goals, 1 Assist, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a rate of a card every 3.12 games so far in his Villa career.