A draw at Hull might not have excited many of us and it deserved to be last on Match of the Day, but I think a pleasing result. A second consecutive away clean sheet and Villa creating chances that on another day would have seen them winning convincingly.
Slowly the Villa are moving forward and I believe starting to reestablish themselves as a top half of the table team. Yes, we have only played 7 games but players like Bacuna and Luna are starting to bed in and we are at last seeing the real potential of players like Delph and El Ahmadi. After having concerned last season I am starting appreciate what a good player Karim El Ahmadi can be. Maybe we still need more creativity but generally the signs are good. Especially with a certain Christian Benteke almost ready to return.
Great Games
Time for me to reminisce and over the next few weeks I will look back at my favourite games of my time in the Trinity Road stand. There have been many great European nights and thrilling comebacks but there really is only one place to start;
1994 v Tranmere League Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg
When you have waited all your life to see the Villa reach Wembley any Semi Final victory is memorable, but never have Villa fans been on such an emotional roller-coaster as they were that night. Despite being overwhelming favourites 'Big Ron's' team were destroyed by Tranmere in the one-sided first leg and but for a vital 'out of the blue' late away goal by Dalian Atkinson the second leg would have been a formality for Tranmere.
Instead with Villa trailing 3-1 the second leg became one of the greatest nights at Villa Park.
Screened live on television (I must have watched the video a hundred times) most of the nation were willing Tranmere to beat the mighty AVFC but the spirit in that team was typified by the memorable Shaun Teale goal. Only the bravest or maddest would have put their head there.
Villa were out the blocks so fast and quickly that the tie was soon all-square when a moment that I am sure all Tranmere fans still think 'if only' about changed the game. Goalkeeper Mark Bosnich pulled down former Liverpool legend John Aldridge. There was a covering man on the line (that's my Villa bias) but Bozzie could easily have been shown a red card. Aldridge scored the penalty and until the 88th minute Tranmere were on their way to Wembley.
With time almost up it was yet again time for the enigma that was Dalian Atkinson to score an unexpected late goal that the Holte End almost sucked in. That goal meant the aggregate score was level and extra time was looming, but before extra time Tranmere hit the inside of the post with a free kick. I still don't know how it stayed out. Yes it really was Villa's day.
It went to penalties and it swung and swung. Misses by Ugo and Richardson looked to have blown the dream but the heroics of lucky goalkeeper Bozzy meant that the Villa Park sound system was soon playing 'Que Sera Sera'.
Even typing about it now makes me tingle. Has one game ever had so many twists and turns? Compared to that game beating Man United in the final was a piece of cake. Thanks to Ron Atkinson's Graham Fenton Master Plan.
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