Game #4018
Aston Villa
0-1-0, 1 PTS

Saturday, 27 August 1988
8th
Last 5: ๐จ ๐ฉ ๐ฉ ๐จ ๐จ
GK Nigel Spink | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
RB Chris Price | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | ๐ข |
CB Allan Evans | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ |
CB Martin Keown | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
RB Kevin Gage | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
M Paul Birch | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | ๐ |
M Gordon Cowans | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | ๐ข |
M Andy A Gray | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | ๐ |
M David Platt | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
M Stuart Gray | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | โฝ |
CF Alan McInally | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ | โฝ |
Graham Taylor | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | 1987-1990

Substitutes
๐ CF Garry Thompson | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | for M Andy Gray | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | 61โ |
๐ W Tony Daley | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | for M Paul Birch | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | 75โ |
Unused Substitutes
None
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
None
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: ๐
League Champions: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
FA Cup Winners: ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
League Cup Winners: ๐๐๐
Last Trophy: 1981-82
Matchday Squad
Unavailable
Not recorded
Team News
Graham Taylor hands a debut to Chris Price whilst Gordon Cowans makes his first appearance following his return to Villa.
Team Stats
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.66 |
Oldest Player |
CB Allan Evans | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ | 31.90 |
Youngest Player |
CB Martin Keown | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | 22.11 |
Debut Appearances
๐ข RB Chris Price | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | #655 | ยฃ125,000 signing from Blackburn
Final Appearances
None
On This Day
Last season's second division promotion winners face off against each other at Villa Park as Villa recover from a two minute Tony Cascarino brace to earn a share of the points on the opening day.
Graham Taylor's Villa open the season with a draw against their rivals for promotion in the previous campaign and it finishes all square as future Villa record signing Tony Cascarino scores a brace in two minutes to shock Villa into a response.
Right back Chris Price, 28, makes his Villa debut after joining from Blackburn Rovers for a fee of ยฃ125,000 in May 1988 to become the 655th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football. Price would go on to be a widely celebrated cult hero for the club over the coming seasons.
Midfielder Gordon โSidโ Cowans, 29, makes his first appearance for Villa of his second spell with the club after returning from Bari in July 1988 for a fee of ยฃ250,000. Chairman Doug Ellis had sold Cowans, then aged 25, to Bari for ยฃ500,000 at the end of the 1984-85 season as part of his nonsensical dismantling of Villaโs League and European Cup winning squad.
Starting XI
Substitutes
None
๐
๐
โฝ
๐ฅ
Sub 3
๐ฉ
๐จ
๐ฅ
None
๐
๐
โฝ
๐ฅ
Sub 4
๐ฉ
๐จ
๐ฅ
None
๐
๐
โฝ
๐ฅ
Sub 5
๐ฉ
๐จ
๐ฅ
Scorer(s) | Stuart Gray | 30' (pen) | Alan McInally | 42' |
Assist(s) | None
Match Timeline
๐ข | 1' Debut, Chris Price, Gordon Cowans
๐ฅ
| 20โ Goal, 0-1, (Millwall), Tony Cascarino
๐ฅ
| 22โ Goal, 0-2, (Millwall), Tony Cascarino
โฝ | 30โ Goal, 1-2, Stuart Gray (pen)
โฝ | 42โ Goal, 2-2, Alan McInally
๐ | HT Aston Villa 2-2 Millwall
๐ 61โ Sub off, Andy Gray, Sub on, Garry Thompson
๐ 75โ Sub off, Paul Birch, Sub on, Tony Daley
๐ | FT Aston Villa 2-2 Millwall
Season | 1988-89 |
Matchday | #1 |
League Match | #1 |
Manager Game | #52 |
Saturday, 27 August 1988
Match Record
Game Record
Manager: Graham Taylor | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | Worksop, 1987-1990
Referee: Roger Milford | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | Bristol, 1982-1994
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: ๐จ 2-2
FT Result: ๐จ Drew
FT Score: ๐จ 2-2
Last 5: ๐จ ๐ฉ ๐ฉ ๐จ ๐จ
Officials
Referee: Roger Milford | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข ๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | Bristol, 1982-1994
Match Stats
Not recorded
Graham Taylor | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ | 1987-1990
๐ 52 | ๐ฉ | 26 ๐จ | 13 ๐ฅ 13 | 1.75
Villa Career Form:
Top 6
What they Said
"We were pleased to get something out of this game as Millwall were first to the ball and calling most of the shots throughout the opening half.โ
Graham Taylor.
TONY Cascarino gave Millwall the perfect start to their first division career with two well-taken goals against Aston Villa.
Millwall's first goal caught the Villa defence napping as fellow Irish international Kevin O'Callaghan's cross found the unmarked Cascarino who easily headed home.
Still reeling from that blow, Villa slipped further behind two minutes later.
Allan Evans, the Villa captain, lost the ball in his own penalty area and Cascarino punished the mistake with his second goal.
Desperate to find a way back into the game, Villa reduced the deficit in the 30th minute when Stuart Gray converted a penalty after Andy Gray had been brought down.
Villa's search for an equaliser was rewarded 12 minutes later when a mix up between the Millwall goalkeeper Brian Horne and his defender lan Dawes, enabled Alan Mclnally to slot the ball into an empty net.
Division One
Millwall
0-1-0, 1 PTS
Villa Park
Attendance: 22,449
GK Brian Horne | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
RB Danis Salman | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
CB Dave Thompson | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
D Alan McLeary | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
LB Ian Dawes | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
M Les Briley | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
M Terry Hurlock | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
M Kevin OโCallaghan | ๐ฎ๐ช |
M George Lawrence | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
CF Teddy Sheringham | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
CF Tony Cascarino | ๐ฎ๐ช | โฝ | โฝ |
John Docherty | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ |
Substitutes
No Substitutions Made
Unused Substitutes
CB Steve Wood | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
M Darren Morgan | ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
None
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Opposition Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: โ
League Champions: โ
FA Cup Winners: โ
League Cup Winners: โ
Last Trophy: โ
Opposition Matchday Squad
Opposition Unavailable
Not Recorded
League Table

1988-89
Playing Squad





























