WHILE Tony Daley waits patiently for the present he would really like - an England call from Graham Taylor - he is finding no shortage of generosity from opposition defences.

Villa's flying winger was handed a gift goal for the second consecutive match at Oakwell last night, and it was sufficient to steer his side safely into the second round of the Rumbelows League Cup.

It wasn't quite as neatly wrapped as Tony Norman's mishandling of his shot against Sunderland on Saturday, but the eager Daley accepted it just as gratefully.

Gerry Taggart's dreadful 19th-minute back pass provided the eager Daley with the opportunity to skip past goalkeeper Clive Baker's despairing lunge and slot in the goal which ensured Villa a 2-0 aggregate victory.

Jozef Venglos could afford the quietly content smile of a manager whose team have now lost just once in nine outings.

Last night's narrow success was hardly the most convincing of performances, but it had all the hallmarks of a task carried out in the most professional manner.

Villa were content to surrender possession for lengthy periods in the knowledge that their well-organised defence could cope competently with busy, bustling Barnsley.

Andy Comyn was a more-than-able deputy for Kent Nielsen alongside the commanding figures of Derek Mountfield and Paul McGrath, while Stuart Gray enjoyed a polished display, arguably his best of the season.