Villa once again overturn a two goal deficit to qualify for the Intertoto semi final.

Paul Merson, 34, makes his 144th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (125 Starts). Merson, a player with ability and influence far beyond the rest of the squad, who even as a cameo substitute could deliver a power of good to the team, was discarded. As a result in one move the team was robbed of much needed creativity. Merson would join Portsmouth on a free transfer the following month as Graham Taylor prematurely called time on a player considered to be one of the most talented and charismatic to have pulled on the claret and blue of Villa. Merson left with a record of W54 D46 L44, 19 Goals, 23 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.43 games across his Villa career.

In sum then, this also ran Intertoto game, had implications far beyond the result on the pitch and signalled the huge challenges ahead for Villa.

Forward Stefan Moore, 18, makes his competitive debut in a Villa shirt after coming through the ranks of youth football to become the 760th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Swedish international forward Marcus Allbäck, 29, makes a goalscoring Villa debut after joining from SC Heerenveen for a fee of £2,700,000 earlier this month to become the 761st player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Forward Michael Boulding, 27, scores on his home debut on what is his second and final appearance in a Villa shirt 6 days after his debut and despite only having arrived at the club 26 days earlier. Boulding who had 23 goals in 113 appearances across 3 seasons in the lower leagues of English football was a curiosity, an ex-tennis player who Graham Taylor immediately promoted to first team football and who clearly was not of sufficient calibre to cut it in the top flight despite his scrambled goal in the win over Zürich. Boulding would remain at the club until the new year without making any further squad appearances and on his departure from Villa he would return to plying his football trade in tiers 2 and mostly 3. 11 years later, Jordan Bowery would make a similar transition from the lower leagues into Premier League football under Paul Lambert but this time would be afforded a full season before once again time was called on the unlikely step up.

Peter Crouch contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 9th appearance to make it W3 D2 L4, 2 Goals and 3 Assists at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.80 games played so far in his Villa career.

Mark Delaney makes his 100th appearance in a Villa shirt (84 Starts) to make it W38 D31 L31, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 13 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Olof Mellberg secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 37th appearance to make it W10 D14 L13, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa face LOSC Lille for the first time in competitive football, Lille become the 149th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 33rd continental European opponents and their third from France following their meetings with FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Stade Rennais F.C. in previous campaigns.

Villa score a crucial away goal through Ian Taylor but concede in the last minute to leave the tie in the balance. 

Goalkeeper Stefan Postma, 26, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after joining from De Graafschap for £2,000,000 earlier this month to become the 762nd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Peter Crouch makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W3 D3 L4, 2 Goals and 3 Assists at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.00 games played so far in his Villa career.

In less positive news, Graham Taylor’s clear out of the Gregory era team continued as 30 year old midfielder Steve Stone is shown the door and follows Paul Merson to Portsmouth on a free transfer. Stone, seemingly underused by John Gregory despite his high fee signing from Forest, and then jettisoned early by Taylor, made 121 Appearances (86 Starts) across his 5 seasons with Villa to leave with a record of W42 D40 L39, 7 Goals, 13 Assists and 15 Bookings.

Villa suffer a shock outright defeat at home to Lille in the Intertoto Cup to render their away goal useless and end any European hopes before the season began.as question marks are already raised about the wisdom of keeping veteran boss Graham Taylor on for a second season.

Villa lose a second successive game under Graham Taylor but there is at least evidence of a player in his new signing Peter Crouch.

Right back Ulises de la Cruz, 28, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after joining from Hibernian FC for £2,430,000. de la Cruz excruciatingly described by Graham Taylor as the "Ecuadorian David Beckham" becomes the 763rd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Alpay Özalan makes his first return to the side since injury ruled him out of the 2000-01 in December 2000 to make his first appearance under Graham Taylor and his 61st appearance in a Villa shirt. Özalan’s Villa record now stands W24 D18 L19 and 16 Bookings.

Villa lose for the 3rd consecutive game and 8th time in 15 league games under Graham Taylor as concerns mount about the season ahead. 2001-02 showed Taylor to be the wrong man at the wrong time and nothing so far makes that look like changing.

The continued trend for half time substitutions suggests one of 3 things. A lack of understanding or knowledge of the opposition’s tactics necessitating a change; panic in even the slightest adversity; or a tendency to field the wrong team in the first place. None of which give a feeling that the club is in the right hands.

Whatever is the cause the impact is disjointed performances and what seems like extreme tactical unfamiliarity for those thrown onto the pitch - not helped by the calibre of the new signings being brought into the club. 

Honest and uncomplicated attitudes may be a refreshing change but these are not additions that materially improve the playing quality of the squad and it is therefore difficult to see exactly what Taylor is trying to achieve.

Irish international midfielder Mark Kinsella, 30, makes his Villa debut after joining from Charlton Athletic for a fee of £1,040,000 in July 2002 to become the 764th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Meanwhile, off the pitch Olof Mellberg is already forced to disabuse rumours of major unrest at the direction of the club under the manager and Chairman.

Villa stop a run of three defeats as they win for the first time in five to secure their first Premier League win of the season by beating top-flight no hopers Manchester City, climbing to 13th under Graham Taylor.

Peter Schmiechel returns to Villa Park following his acrimonious departure under Graham Taylor.

Villa lose for the third time in four Premier League games under Graham Taylor and have failed to score in each of those defeats. 

This latest defeat, courtesy of Peter Enckleman conceding a second half penalty, came against bottom club Bolton as Villa tumbled back to 16th place.

Villa win for the second time in five Premier League games as Graham Taylor makes five changes in an attempt to inject life into Villa's poor start. 

Villa secure only their 5th win in 18 Premier League games under Graham Taylor but make it back to back victories at Villa Park. 

Villa score more than a single goal in a game for the first time this season.

Centre back Ronny Johnsen, 33, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after moving from Manchester United on a free transfer in July 2002 to become the 765th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Ulises de la Cruz surprises as he scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on only his 4th appearance (3 Starts) to make it W1 D0 L3 and 1 Goal so far in his Villa career.

Stefan Moore scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on his 3rd appearance (0 Starts) to make it W2 D0 L1, 1 Goal and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Jlloyd Samuel makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (31 Starts) to make it W16 D15 L19, 3 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Alpay Özalan plays for the first time in a month after Graham Taylor has all but overlooked the Turkey international so far in 2002-03. Özalan secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 62nd appearance to make it W25 D18 L19 and 16 Bookings.

Villa lose for the 10th time in 19 Premier League games under Graham Taylor, winning just 5. 

Villa fail to score for the 4th time in 6 League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa lose against Birmingham for the first time in 7 games and for the first time at St Andrews' since 1984.

This latest defeat however, despite the form of the team under Graham Taylor, was totally unexpected and represented Villa’s first reverse against their neighbours in over 15 years. 

The major talking point however was referee David Elleray’s decision to allow a goal that wasn’t. 

Olof Mellberg took a throw in with the intention of passing the ball back to ‘keeper Enckelman however Enckelman, for unknown reasons, failed to connect with and allowed the ball roll past his foot and into the net. 

As such the ball hadn’t been touched from the throw-in and was officially a dead ball. 

Obviously a dead ball meant no goal could be conceded.

Elleray however either misinterpreted the rules or misread the passage of play - he would never admit either - and erroneously awarded the goal to Birmingham. 

Few recall anything other than Enckelman but the the real mistake was Elleray’s seemingly forgotten misapplication of the rules. 

On the night however, despite a questionable offside decision ruling out a Villa equaliser, Graham Taylor’s side put in a performance of little quality that had become the norm over the previous six months and Birmingham, nearly two decades in the making, recorded a deserved win over their more decorated neighbours. 

Considered by many of the Blues’ persuasion to be the greatest night in their history, the victory triggered scenes of jubilation across Small Heath.

In 2023, in AVFC History’s conversation with Darius Vassell, the player whose goal Elleray incorrectly disallowed, the former Villa striker recollected in minute detail the validity of his goal and revealed that the real anger of that night amongst the Villa team was Elleray’s performance and his 57’ decision.

Steve Staunton makes his 325th appearance in a Villa shirt (313 Starts) to make it W134 D86 L105, 20 Goals, 36 Assists, 22 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Juan Pablo Ángel makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (42 Starts) to make it W19 D11 L20, 17 Goals, 6 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.17 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Alpay Özalan plays successive games for the first time under Graham Taylor and first time since December 2001 to make it 63 appearances in a Villa shirt, W25 D18 L20 and 17 Bookings.

Villa seek respite from their League troubles as they see off Second Division side Luton Town to reach the League Cup third round.

Darius Vassell makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (111 Appearances) to make it W41 D27 L43, 22 Goals, 8 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.70 games played so far in his Villa career.

Lee Hendrie makes his 150th start in a Villa shirt (195 Appearances) to make it W81 D51 L63, 22 Goals, 18 Assists, 33 Bookings and 3 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 5 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Marcus Allbäck makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (5 Starts) to make it W4 D1 L5 and 1 Goals at a goal involvement rate of one for every 10.00 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa seek respite from their League troubles under Graham Taylor but still need a late cavalry charge to see off Third Division Oxford as things turn nasty off the pitch.

Ian Taylor collects his 50th booking in a Villa shirt on his 278th appearance (246 Starts) to make it W116 D75 L87, 42 Goals, 16 Bookings and 2 Red Cards at a rate of a card every 5.35 games so far in his Villa career.

Stefan Postma keeps his 1st clean sheet in a Villa shirt on his 3rd appearance to make it W1 D1 L1, 2 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.67 goals per game and 1 Clean Sheet (33%) so far in his Villa career.

Dion Dublin secures his 50th win in a Villa shirt on his 137th appearance (111 Starts) to make it W50 D41 L46, 45 Goals, 15 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.28 games played so far in his Villa career.

Mark Delaney secures his 40th win in a Villa shirt on his 110th appearance (94 Starts) to make it W40 D34 L36, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 13 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Juan Pablo Ángel secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 54th appearance (43 Starts) to make it W20 D14 L20, 17 Goals, 6 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.35 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Villa win for the first time in 6 Premier League games to make it 4 wins in 13 under Graham Taylor and climb back to 14th in the table.

Villa secure their 4th Premier League win of the season. 

Villa make it 7 wins in 26 League games under Graham Taylor. 

Villa score 3 or more goals for the 3rd time 26 League games under Graham Taylor.

Öyvind Leonhardsen scores his 1st goal and contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 8th appearance (4 Starts) to make it W4 D3 L1, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Marcus Allbäck contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 12th appearance (5 Starts) to make it W6 D1 L5, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 1 Booking at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.00 games played so far in his Villa career.

Jlloyd Samuel secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 60th appearance (41 Starts) to make it W20 D18 L22, 3 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa are held for the fourth time in six Premier League games to make it four wins in fourteen under Graham Taylor.

Villa fail to score for the 9th time in 14 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa, unbeaten in 4, now have 7 wins in 27 under Graham Taylor.

Villa win for the 2nd time in 3 to make it 5 wins in 15 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they climb to 11th in the table.

Villa have now won 8 of 28 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa extend their unbeaten run to 5 games and make it 5 League wins so far this season under Graham Taylor. 

Villa have score 3 or more goals in only 4 of their last 28 League games under Graham Taylor. 

Dion Dublin scores his 100th Premier League goal. 

Lee Hendrie contributes his 42nd goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 199th appearance (153 Starts) to make it W82 D53 L64, 23 Goals, 19 Assists, 34 Bookings and 3 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.85 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the 3rd time in 4 in all competitions to leave them with 6 wins in q9 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they remain 15th in the table.

Villa fail to score for the 11th time in 19 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa fall to their 15th defeat in 32 League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa have now won 9 of their last 32 League games under Graham Taylor.

Dion Dublin suffers his 50th defeat in a Villa shirt on his 146th appearance (120 Starts) to make it W54 D42 L50, 47 Goals, 17 Assists, 14 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.28 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa win for the 2nd time in 6 Premier League games to make it 7 wins in 21 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they climb back to 14th in the table.

2002 ends with 10 wins in 34 Premier League matches under Graham Taylor.

Rob Edwards, 20, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after graduating from the youth team set up to become the 767th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Thomas Hitzlsperger secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 31st appearance (26 Starts) to make it W10 D6 L5, 5 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the second successive game and have now failed to score in 13 of 28 league matches under Graham Taylor this season.

As the fans finally lose patience, Graham Taylor records a 19th Premier League defeat in 41 games.

Alpay Özalan features for the first time in over 4 months and for only the 5th time in 50 games under Graham Taylor to belatedly make it 65 appearances in a Villa shirt, W25 D18 L22 and 17 Bookings. Özalan would not feature under Taylor again.

Alan Wright suffers his 100th defeat in a Villa shirt on his 326th appearance (321 Starts) to make it W140 D86 L100, 5 Goals, 26 Assists and 23 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa stop a run of four consecutive defeats to draw with Southampton but now have just 13 wins in 44 Premier League games under Graham Taylor. 

Without a goal in 18 games, Peter Crouch makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (18 Starts) to make it W6 D6 L13, 2 Goals, 4 Assists and 1 Booking at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.17 games played so far in his Villa career as life under the struggling Graham Taylor proves more difficult than most for Crouch. This would prove to be Crouch's final appearance under Taylor with the player having to wait 4 months and for the arrival of David O'Leary before he would pull on a Villa shirt again.

At a time when Villa desperately needed quality, experience and leadership, left back Alan Wright, 31, makes his 329th and final appearance in a Villa shirt before being the latest player to move to Middlesbrough, this time on a free transfer in June 2003. An unsung hero of Villa, Wright had spent 9 seasons at the club and left with a record of W140 D87 L102, 5 Goals, 26 Assists and 24 Bookings.

Darius Vassell contributes his 40th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 133rd appearance (68 Starts) to make it W47 D31 L55, 31 Goals, 9 Assists, 12 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.33 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa, without a win in 6 under Graham Taylor, record successive draws to make it 13 wins in 45 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Öyvind Leonhardsen contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 18th appearance (12 Starts) to make it W7 D5 L6, 2 Goals, 3 Assists and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Ronny Johnsen makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (24 Starts) to make it W10 D5 L10 and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa record a third consecutive draw and are now winless in 7 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa, without a win in 7, can only draw with relegation side West Ham.

Villa now have just 13 wins in 46 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Darius Vassell contributes his 10th assist in a Villa shirt on his 135th appearance (70 Starts) to make it W47 D33 L55, 32 Goals, 10 Assists, 12 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.21 games played so far in his Villa career.

Olof Mellberg makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W21 D23 L31, 1 Goal, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

As if from nowhere Villa conjure up a first win in eight against 4th placed Chelsea with Marcus Allbäck, a player who had hitherto looked less than likely to score, hit a brace to deliver Graham Taylor his 14th top flight win in 47 matches since his return.

Villa make it 11 wins in 34 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Marcus Allbäck contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 21st appearance (8 Starts) to make it W9 D5 L7, 4 Goals, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.20 games played so far in his Villa career.

Ronny Johnsen makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (26 Appearances) to make it W11 D5 L10 and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa extend their late season unbeaten run to five but draw for the fourth time to make it eleven wins in thirty five Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa now have 14 Premier League wins in 48 matches under Graham Taylor since his return to management in 2002. 

Winger Peter Whittingham, 18, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after coming through the ranks at Villa and signing professional forms in July 2002 to become the 770th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Villa lose for the first time in six to make it eleven wins in thirty six Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Rob Edwards, 20, makes his 9th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (8 Starts) before moving on to Wolves for £203,000 in June 2004 having recorded W3 D3 L3 during his short Villa career. Edwards would go on to be a successful manager taking Luton Town from the third tier into the Premier League for the 2023-24 season.

Marcus Allbäck scores his 5th goal in a Villa shirt on his 23rd appearance (10 Starts) to make it W69 D6 L8, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.83 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa win for the second time in four and have now lost just once in their last seven under Graham Taylor to secure their Premier League safety with a game to spare.

Villa now have 12 wins in 37 top flight games under Graham Taylor this season.

Marcus Allbäck scores his 4th in 4 to earn Graham Taylor a 15th win in 50 Premier League games since replacing John Gregory. 

Steve Staunton, 34, makes his final appearance in a Villa shirt before moving on to Coventry City on a free transfer in August 2003. Staunton had played for Villa in two spells between 1991-92 and 2002-03 making a total of 348 appearances in a Villa shirt (332 Starts). That fantastic contribution to Villa however was sadly overshadowed by Staunton’s controversial decision to leave Villa on a Bosman free transfer in 1998. Without that there is no doubt Staunton would have been rated as one of the great Villa servants. As it is he will remain respected rather than admired for his record of W145 D92 L111, 20 Goals, 37 Assists, 28 Bookings and 2 Red Cards across his Villa career. Ironically, his career hiatus with Liverpool afforded him a significant increase in wealth but just 58 appearances across 3 seasons during which time in a Villa shirt he could realistically have moved into the top 10 all time appearance holders for Villa.   

Finnish goalkeeper Peter Enckelman, 26, keeps his 20th clean sheet on his 67th and final game in a Villa shirt before moving on to Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £194,000 in January 2004. Villa had paid TPS Turku £513,000 for Enckelman’s services in February 1999 and would prove a statistically strong ‘keeper but a less than confidence boosting presence between the sticks. Undoubtedly best known for the refereeing error he was on the end of in September 2002, Enckelman had the support of both his full time managers with Graham Taylor making him the club’s #1. Whether that was a good long term move or an accident waiting to happen is difficult to tell, what isn’t is that the incident at St Andrews’ meant Enckelman was always on borrowed time at Villa and his career stalled into a nose dive with just 45 appearances for Blackburn and Cardiff over the following 7 seasons. Enckelman left with a record of W23 D18 L26, 74 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.10 goals per game (1.19 in League football) and 20 Clean Sheets (20%) (25% League)

Midfielder Öyvind Leonhardsen, 32, makes his 23rd and final appearance in a Villa shirt before moving on to FC Lyn Oslo on a free transfer in July 2003. Leonhardsen was another of Taylor’s surprising signings and in truth he underwhelmed throughout his time with Villa to leave with a record of W9 D7 L7, 3 Goals, 2 Assists and 2 Bookings.

Joey Guðjónsson makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (8 Starts) to make it W4 D42 L4, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 4 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

The truly woeful Graham Taylor reign comes to an end as Villa lose on the final day to leave them with twelve wins in thirty eight Premier League games and a 16th placed finish - their lowest since 1994-95. 

In truth it was an impossible task to expect a great man, wedded in a certain footballing ideal, to adjust to the modern footballing world.

Sadly the laziness, or incompetence, of the Villa board allowed the pain to continue far beyond its clear failure. 

With just 15 wins in 51 Premier League fixtures and 23 defeats, the football had not only been woeful but the results damaging. 

The inherited squad, ageing but occasionally still effervescent, was a shadow of itself within months, and but for the emergence of young prospects there was little to cheer. 

The unfathomable ostracism of players, not least Juan Pablo Ángel and Peter Crouch, robbed the squad of talent, and the bizarre recruitment policy burdened the team with players simply not up to the rigours and standards of Premier League football. 

Without question the worst season in over 25 years for Villa, the venerated Graham Taylor left with most people wishing to forget 2002-03 happened and with a desire to simply focus on that day at Goodison Park in May 1990. 

Midfielder and Villa great Ian Taylor, 34, makes his final appearance in a Villa shirt after 9 seasons with the club before moving on to Derby County on a free transfer in June 2003. Taylor was underused by his namesake in the final season of his Villa career despite a record of W120 D79 L92, 42 Goals, 17 Assists, 54 Bookings and 2 Red Cards between 1994-95 and 2002-03. Despite his age Taylor could still do a job for the club, like Merson, Stone, Kachloul, Wright and co. before him but Graham Taylor thought otherwise.

Midfielder Joey Guðjónsson, 22, makes his 11th and final appearance in a Villa shirt of his loan spell from Real Betis. Guðjónsson had brought ill-disciplined passion to Villa and proved both entertaining and flawed. In a better environment, surrounded by stronger team-mates and a more progressive manager, those raw characteristics may have been harnessed to create a good player however that wasn’t Villa in 2002-03 under Graham Taylor. Guðjónsson left with a record of W4 D2 L5, 2 Goals, 2 Assists, 4 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a rate of a card for every 2.20 games he played.

Midfielder Stephen Cooke, 20, makes his 4th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (0 Starts) before moving on to Bournemouth on a free transfer in July 2005. Cooke made his debut in 2000 and waited nearly 3 years for his second appearance before his final outing 3 months later to leave with a record of W1 D0 L3.

Peter Whittingham makes his 1st start in a Villa shirt on his 4th appearance to make it W1 D1 L2 so far in his Villa career.

Stefan Postma concedes his 10th goal in a Villa shirt on his 9th appearance (8 Starts) to make it W3 D2 L4, 12 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.33 goals per game and 3 Clean Sheets (33%) so far in his Villa career.

Marcus Allbäck makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (12 Starts) to make it W10 D6 L9, 6 Goals, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.57 games played so far in his Villa career.

New boss David O'Leary takes charge of his first Villa game and although the Irishman is far from a universally welcomed appointment hopes exist that a repeat of the dreadful 2002-03 campaign can be avoided given his summer signings are significantly greater quality than other recent imports. 

Goalkeeper Thomas Sörensen, 27, makes his Villa debut after joining from Sunderland in July 2003 for a fee of £2,700,000 to become the 771st player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Midfielder Gavin McCann, 25, makes his Villa debut after joining from Sunderland in July 2003 for a fee of £3,040,000 to become the 772nd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Mark Delaney makes his 100th start in a Villa shirt (116 Appearances) - and his first in 6 months - to make it W43 D35 L38, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 14 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Lee Hendrie suffers his 75th defeat in a Villa shirt on his 220th appearance (170 Starts) to make it W88 D57 L75, 24 Goals, 20 Assists, 39 Bookings and 3 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Peter Crouch comes off the bench to play his first game in 5 months to make it 26 appearances (18 Starts), W6 D6 L14, 2 Goals, 4 Assists and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Despite taking a deserved first half lead Villa are well beaten in the second half to leave them with one win in five Premier League games under David O'Leary to sit 16th in the table.

Villa's first 5 games under David O'Leary suggest the hangover from the dreadful 2002-03 campaign under Graham Taylor has not fully cleared. 

Villa now have 3 losses, 1 win and a draw under David O'Leary but the apparent rejuvenation of Juan Pablo Ángel following his travails under Taylor and a more adventurous brand of football already being witnessed suggests better times may cautiously be ahead. 

Midfielder Mustapha Hadji, 32, makes his 47th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (30 Starts) before moving on to RCD Espanyol on a free transfer in January 2004 and leaving with a record of W15 D11 L21, 3 Goals, 2 Assists and 5 Bookings.

Juan Pablo Ángel contributes his 30th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 52nd start (69 Appearances) to make it W26 D15 L28, 23 Goals, 7 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.73 starts so far in his Villa career.

Lee Hendrie contributes his 21st assist in a Villa shirt and his first since December 2002 on his 224th appearance (174 Starts) to make it W89 D58 L77, 24 Goals, 21 Assists, 40 Bookings 3 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 5.09 games he has played so far in his Villa career.