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Aston Villa (0) 0 Southampton (0) 1 FT Dean Richards enjoyed a scoring return to the West Midlands to pile more pressure on John Gregory. Centre-back Richards, who joined Southampton from Wolves under the Bosman Ruling in the summer, headed home six minutes from time to give his side their first FA Carling Premiership win since August 28. It extended Aston Villa's run of league games without a victory to six and ensured the hosts were booed off by their fans. Manager Gregory was mocked by chants of ``you don't know what you're doing'' from his own club's supporters after substituting Paul Merson with 10 minutes left. And Richards turned up the heat on the former Wycombe boss shortly afterwards when he struck from close range after Claus Lundekvam had helped on Hassan Kachloul's corner. Villa rarely looked capable of breaching the Saints defence, with Benito Carbone no more than a peripheral figure in his third appearance for the midlanders. Alan Thompson struck the bar with a free-kick from near the right touchline after 18 minutes but that was as close as they came to beating Paul Jones. This time last year Villa were top of the Premiership and some pundits were tipping Gregory as a possible successor to then England coach Glenn Hoddle. Now, though, he has a job on his hands trying to make sure chairman Doug Ellis - not averse to sacking managers - does not wield the axe again. After spending £37million and recouping less than half that since replacing Brian Little 20 months ago, the Villa boss sees his side labouring in the bottom half of the Premiership. As has been the case throughout this season, there were yawning gaps in the Villa Park stands as fans continue to stay away, with an attendance of just 26,474 present. And those supporters who still attend week in, week out will begin to desert their team in droves if they turn in many more performances of the standard they had to sit through today. They turned against the players in claret and blue shirts early on, booing Villa off at half-time and spending more time criticising them than cheering them on after the interval. Like fellow midlands managers Martin O'Neill and Gordon Strachan, Gregory is not afraid to show his emotions on the touchline and he spent much of today's match in despair as his side failed to deliver. He rang the changes today, giving Merson and Alan Wright their first league starts since September 11 and including Steve Stone from the start for the first time this season. But that did not work and he has a major task on his hands trying to lift his side out of their present slump. Thompson was their most dangerous player, heading over early on and testing Jones with a couple of long-range drives. Dion Dublin sent two efforts over and should have done better with a header from eight yards out after he had got on the end of Merson's cross. Jones made a good save from Gareth Barry and later distinguished himself with a reflex stop to foil Carbone from close range. But Southampton, who before today had not won since beating Sheffield Wednesday on August 28, also had a string of chances. Stuart Ripley was an ever-present danger down the right and David James was relieved to see the winger's goalbound shot hit Wright after he had failed to gather the ball. Mark Hughes also fired over with the keeper stranded after he had denied Marian Pahars, though the former Liverpool star flung himself low to his right to palm away Richards' header at the start of the second half. Despite these opportunities, the game seemed destined to end goalless before Saints went in front and it could have been worse for Villa had James not parried Pahars' shot and then foiled the onrushing James Beattie. Aston Villa: James, Wright, Southgate, Dublin, Merson (Ghrayib,
81), Thompson (Boateng, 81), Barry, Carbone, Delaney, Stone, Calderwood. Southampton: Jones, Dodd, Lundekvam, Richards, Oakley, Hughes,
Ripley (Boa Morte, 74), Pahars, Colleter, Kachloul, Soltvedt (Beattie,
86). |