When Brian Little screwed a 12 yard shot wide of a post with only Bolton goalkeeper Barry Siddall between him and an equaliser it was perhaps justice being seen to be done.

Three minutes remained when Sammy Morgan flicked the ball into Little’s path to set up Villa’s best scoring chance of the afternoon.

Unaccustomed to such service, Little panicked, mishit his shot and the opportunity was gone.

That Villa were still in position at this late stage to snatch a point was due almost entirely to an acrobatic display of goalkeeping from debutant Graham Moseley.

Signed on a month’s loan from Derby County on Thursday afternoon, Moseley performed as if he had been playing behind the Villa defence for months and not minutes.

He earned the respect of his new colleagues after just 45 seconds when he stretched high to reach a 25 yard drive from Nicholson and from that moment his authority in the six yard box was unquestioned.

It was not such a happy day for the remainder of the Villa defence.

Robson, in particular, was given a hair-raising time by the fast and direct Bolton winger Peter Thompson while Aitken had an equally trying time against John Byrom.

So much pressure was put on the Villa defence that the midfield men had to abandon any constructive ideas and help out at the back - at least until after the interval when at last Villa decided that attack was the best form of defence.

By then they were a goal down, centre back Paul Jones having flung himself at a Thompson corner to touch a header just inside the near post in the 26th minute — nine minutes after Byrom had blasted a penalty against the bar.

Justice there, as well, for it seemed a very harsh decision.

With no Villa player prepared to take on a man and with their distribution so much below par Bolton rarely had to extend themselves.

If they had chosen to do so and if Moseley had not been in such impeccable form they could have boosted their goal average considerably and may yet rue the fact that they could not be bothered.