Taylor happy to be second

ASTON Villa rode a roller coaster through the full range of football emotions and finished in a heap among the debris of their league championship dreams.

But manager Graham Taylor still produced the champagne and a smile after Norwich scored twice in the last eleven minutes of an astonishing afternoon in which Villa's failure to win from a 3-1 lead handed Liverpool the title.

"I'm not going to let it spoil my enjoyment of a thoroughly good season," he said.

"We have finished second and while I congratulate Liverpool on winning another title, I won't let anybody take anything away from my team."

Villa needed to win both their final games to have any hope. But 30 minutes of frantic Villa pressure was rudely interrupted by little Norwich winger Ruel Fox driving his team ahead after Andy Linighan got in a sideways header to an lan Crook corner.

Paul McGrath glanced a Gordon Cowans corner over Walton for the equaliser on the hour and within 60 seconds Tony Cascarino landed a superb solo effort for his first Villa goal.

Norwich had hardly gathered themselves again when David Platt made it 3-1 to complete an astonishing four minute blitz.

But Villa's Derek Mountfield helped Norwich on their way to a comeback, lobbing an own goal eleven minutes from time and if Taylor thought that was just a minor inconvenience he was pulled up sharp when Robert Rosario snapped an easy equaliser four minutes later.