James Wright appears for the first time since winning the Birmingham Senior Cup in Villa’s 9-0 win over Racing Club Warwick in May 2024.
Woody Burgess makes his tenth reserve team appearance.
Mason Cotcher and George Hemmings make their 30th reserve team appearance.
Ashton McWilliams returns to Villa’s PL2 line-up after his loan spell at struggling Morecambe.

City score their first after two minutes, and make it two after five, and make it three after fifteen and make it four after 28 minutes.

2025-26 Premier League 2 Appearance & Goal Record
GK James Wright | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | 🥅 4 | ⛔ 0 | 🇺0 |
RB Ashton McWilliams | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 9 | ✅ 7 | 🔁 2 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CB Yeimar Mosquera | 🇨🇴 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 6 | ✅ 6 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 1 | 🇺0 |
CB Leon Routh | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 11 | ✅ 10 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |
DM Woody Burgess | 🇩🇪 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 7 | ✅ 5 | 🔁 2 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CM George Hemmings | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 4 | ✅ 4 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 1 | 🇺0 |
M Mohamed Koné | 🇨🇮 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 12 | ✅ 9 | 🔁 3 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
AM Bradley Burrowes | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 7 | ✅ 7 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 7 | 🔥 2 | 🇺0 |
LW Cole Brannigan | 🇬🇧 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 8 | ✅ 7 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 1 | 🇺0 |
RW Trai-Varn Mulley | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 12 | ✅ 10 | 🔁 2 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
RW Luka Lynch | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 4 | ✅ 4 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
AM Max Jenner | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 6 | ✅ 2 | 🔁 4 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 1 | 🇺0 |
CF Mason Cotcher | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 8 | ✅ 3 | 🔁 5 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |
LB Teddie Bloomfield | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 2 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 1 | 🇺1 |
GK Owen Asemota | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 5 | ✅ 5 | 🔁 0 | 🥅 10 | ⛔ 1 | 🇺7 |
LW Omar Khedr | 🇪🇬 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 2 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 2 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |
GK Sam Proctor | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 3 | ✅ 3 | 🔁 0 | 🔥 1 | 🥅 3 | ⛔ 1 | 🇺5 |
CB TJ Carroll | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 10 | ✅ 10 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
M Ben Broggio | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 8 | ✅ 8 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 1 | 🇺0 |
F Kadan Young | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 4 | ✅ 3 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 3 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
W Alfie Lynskey | 🇮🇪 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 5 | ✅ 3 | 🔁 2 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 0 | 🇺3 |
GK Rhys Oakley | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 0 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 0 | 🥅 0 | ⛔ 0 | 🇺5 |
CM I-Lani Edwards | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
AM Charlie Pavey | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 3 | ✅ 3 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 1 | 🇺0 |
CB Calum Moreland | 🇬🇧 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 4 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 3 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺3 |
CF Markie Meade | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 2 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 2 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CB Junior Wilson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 0 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |
M Aidan Borland | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 8 | ✅ 8 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 1 | 🇺0 |
LB Rodrigo Fortes | 🇵🇹 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 7 | ✅ 6 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CF Rory Wilson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 6 | ✅ 4 | 🔁 2 | ⚽ 2 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CM Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 4 | ✅ 4 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 1 | 🔥 2 | 🇺0 |
GK Ronnie Hollingshead | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 4 | ✅ 4 | 🔁 0 | 🥅 8 | ⛔ 0 | 🇺0 |
F Travis Patterson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 2 | ✅ 2 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
RB Triston Rowe | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
LB Lino Sousa | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
AM Max Lott | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 1 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
AM Fletcher Boyd | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 1 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CM Kane Taylor | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 1 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CM Oliver Bindley | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 0 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |
GK Theo Houston | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 2025-26 PL2 🕒 0 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 0 | 🥅 0 | ⛔ 0 | 🇺1 |

Match Report:
Villa succumbed to a 4-0 defeat against Manchester City following a destructive first-half showing from the reigning Premier League 2 champions. The Young Lions found themselves two goals down inside the opening four minutes thanks to goals from Ryan McAidoo and Mahamadou Sangare. Isaiah Dada-Mascoll soon added a third for City with a stunning sweeping finish, before Villa goalkeeper James Wright denied the visitors a fourth by saving Reigan Heskey’s penalty. However, City, having won four of the last five titles, did register a fourth goal within the first half-hour through Christian McFarlane’s finish from an acute angle. Jimmy Shan’s determined, hardworking side proved resilient after the break, battling strongly until the end to limit the visitors amid a goalless second half. Villa’s nightmare start continued as City opened a two-goal lead in just four minutes. Firstly, McAidoo advanced down Villa’s left into the penalty area, cut inside, and then fired a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner at the near post. Just two minutes later, City broke down Villa’s right again, with Sverre Nypan crossing low for Sangare to finish from six yards. Matters worsened in the 15th minute when Dada-Mascoll scored a superb 20-yard strike into the top corner from McAidoo’s pass following another quick break. The excellent McAidoo curled just over before ‘keeper Wright quickly came to Villa’s rescue, saving a penalty from Heskey after he was fouled by Trai-Varn Mulley in the area. Wright also made a good save from Sangare midway through the first half, but City made it four in the 28th minute when centre-back McFarlane found the net from a tight angle. George Hemmings tested City goalkeeper Jack Wint before the break, but the Young Lions found themselves four goals down at half-time. Boss Shan introduced Teddie Bloomfield at the interval, and Villa emerged with renewed energy and determination at the start of the second half. The spirited Young Lions proved hard to break down and looked to pose a threat in the final third as they competed strongly against City. Nypan shot off target from long range in the 79th minute before Wright held firm to deny Sangare after he raced clean through, with McAidoo sending the rebound wide. Brad Burrowes was denied a late consolation by a challenge from City captain Kian Noble as Villa finished empty-handed.