Captain Fantastic :)

Say what you like about our Captain Stilyan Petrov but he along with Shay Given certainly dug us out of a hole yesterday in the game against Everton.

Going into the game we were expected to inflict further damage onto the troubled evertonians with no strikers, all the unrest at the club and the 300 man protest about the running of the club. But when the game kicked off a neutral would of thought it was Villa who were the ones with problems behind the scenes.

Villa were expecting to start with both of their new signings, Alan Hutton and Jermaine Jenas however due to injury Alan Hutton was the only one of the two to take to the field for the game in place of MOTM against Wolves in the last game Chris Herd.

Other than that the injury that kept Bent out of England action in the week was deemed to have be healed and other than the Hutton start  it was as you were from the Wolves game with Heskey once again playing that midfield role which causes much debate amongst fans. Luckily for some though after 20 minutes Heskey pulled up with a hamstring injury and Mcleish had to find a plan B. However at this point Villa were already behind.

The first time we had been behind this season. Following a Leon Osman goal set up by the ever impressive against us, Tim Cahill. Villa were being out played all over the pitch and we didn't seem to have any answers for Evertons barrage on our defensive half. When Heskey went off he was replaced with Barry Bannan, would this be the chance he deserved and that all the villa fans had been calling for all season?

Not for the rest of the first half that's for sure. It was a half that will never want to be replayed by any Villa fan and we very lucky for it to be only 1-0 at the interval. After Everton wasted a couple of great chances and Given was pulling off more vintage saves like he has done all season. Surely the team would get a mouthful of Scottish anger at half time!?

The second half began and Villa looked a little better but not all over the pitch. Darren Bent seems to be lacking something? Match fitness? Wide supply? I'm not sure but its safe to say he is certainly not in top form at the moment. Especially with the form Gabby is in atm too he should be seriously worried about his role as our number one striker.

Everton was still the better team but after an hour out of nowhere Captain Fantastic turned up out of nowhere. Like in every game he plays for Villa he picked the ball up from 30/35 yards out and every Villa fan could be heard muttering "Please Don't..........SHOOT, WHAT A GOAL" He curled in a low shot passed the camouflaged Everton GK Tim Howard and celebrated with a passion I had not seen him in a long long time.

That sense of belief didn't last too long however when 6 minutes later when Delph landed on Jagielka and the ref awarded a penalty Baines smashed in the penalty and made it 2-1.

Then with 5 minutes remaining Albrighton, who had earlier come on for the once again disappointing N'Zogbia curled in an inch perfect ball and Gabby Agbonlahor rose at the far post (in front of Bent) and headed it into the back of the net.

A 2-2 draw was in hindsight a great but undeserved point for the Villa but keeps our unbeaten run going and with Newcastle at home and QPR away our next two games we need to capitalise and get at least 4 points.

VTID