Game #4169
Wednesday, 28 August 1991
Attendance: 23,644
Lost
Division One
10th (-5)
West Ham United
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟥
Upton Park
Villa take the lead through Tony Daley's second goal in as many games but are hit by a West Ham treble as they lose for the second time in four first division games under new boss Ron Atkinson.
West Ham United
3-1
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Gary Penrice | 50' |
KEY MAN
Kevin Richardson, hat-trick of chances.
RELATED MATCHES
MATCH TIMELINE
🕒 | HT West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa
⚽ | 50’ Goal, 1-0, Tony Daley, Assist by Gary Penrice
🥅 | 66’ Goal, 1-1, (West Ham United), Mike Small
🔁 | 67’ Sub off, Chris Price, Sub on, Dwight Yorke
⚽ | 68’ Goal, 1-2, (West Ham United), Leroy Rosenior
⚽ | 87’ Goal, 1-3, (West Ham United), Kenny Brown
🕒 | FT West Ham United 1-3 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Despite taking the lead through Tony Daley early in the second half, Ron Atkinson's Villa lose to newly promoted West Ham to make it two wins and two defeats in the opening four games of the season.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1981-82
West Ham United
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: 1979-80
FIXTURE HISTORY
Previous 5 vs. West Ham: 🟨 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1991-92 |
Matchday | #4 |
League Match | #4 |
Manager Game | #4 |
Wednesday, 28 August 1991
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Ron Atkinson | 🏴 | Liverpool, 1991-1994
Referee: Allan Gunn | 🏴 | Sussex, 1977-1994
HT Score: 🟨
FT Result: 🟥 Lost
FT Score: 🟥 1-3
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟥
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Allan Gunn | 🏴 | Sussex, 1977-1994
Previous 5: 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟥
Last Match: 🟥 9 January 1991, FA Cup, Villa 0-1 Wimbledon, Plough Lane.
Incidents: None
CARDS
Villa
None
West Ham United
None
TEAM NEWS
Chris Price replaces Steve Staunton.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 28.40 |
Oldest Player |
CF Cyrille Regis | 🏴 | 33.57 |
Youngest Player |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴 | 18.83 |
MANAGER
Ron Atkinson | 🏴 |
MANAGER
Billy Bonds | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Nigel Spink | 🏴 |
RB Chris Price | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴 |
CB Shaun Teale | 🏴 |
CB Paul McGrath | 🇮🇪 |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴 |
M Paul Mortimer | 🏴 |
M Kevin Richardson | 🏴 |
W Tony Daley | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CF Cyrille Regis | 🏴 |
F Gary Penrice | 🏴 | 🔥 |
West Ham United
GK Ludek Mikloško | 🇨🇿 |
LB Mitchell Thomas | 🏴 |
CB Colin Foster | 🏴 |
D Kenny Brown | 🏴 | ⚽ |
RB Tim Breacker | 🏴 |
M George Parris | 🏴 |
M Stuart Slater | 🏴 |
M Martin Allen | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Ian Bishop | 🏴 |
CF Leroy Rosenior | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CF Mike Small | 🏴 | ⚽ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 CF Dwight Yorke | 🇹🇹 | for RB Chris Price | 🏴 | 67' |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Martin Allen | 🏴 | (W Matthew Rush | 🇮🇪 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
LB Kevin Gage | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
CF Trevor Morley | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/13
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/13
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"It was a worrying collapse which will give manager Atkinson plenty to ponder as he continues his quest to mould his expensive individuals into a team capable of challenging for honours."
*Birmingham Evening Mail*
Thursday, 29 August 1991
VILLA's roller coaster excursion into the new season took another sudden dip at Upton Park last night, just when they appeared to have applied the break.
After the dizzy heights of Saturday's victory over champions Arsenal, Ron Atkinson's men were sent hurtling back to ground level by a West Ham side who had previously collected only two points and scored just once.
And the breathtaking plunge, in keeping with a fairground ride came totally unexpectedly.
For more than an hour Villa had looked safe and secure. They created better openings than their East Londoners, and deservedly led on 50 minutes when Gary Penrice flicked on Cyrille Regis' pass for Tony Daley to steer a 15-yard shot beyond the reach of Czech goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko.
But the Hammers blew Villa apart in the space of three whirlwind minutes.
Birmingham-born Mike Small drilled home a blistering left-foot equaliser after 65 minutes and the visitors' discipline simply disintegrated.
Atkinson's side had barely recovered from the blow when Tim Breacker's freekick was helped across goal by Small - with his hand, Villa claim - for Leroy Rosenior to run in West Ham's second.
Where there had previously been poise and polish, there was suddenly chaos and confusion, with Rosenior quickly having another effort disallowed for offside before on-loan full-back Kenny Brown's stunning 25-yard angled drive settled the issue three minutes from time.
It was a worrying collapse which will give manager Atkinson plenty to ponder as he continues his quest to mould his expensive individuals into a team capable of challenging for honours.
On the strength of last night's brittle showing, he has a long way to go, although the one quality he has clearly instilled into Villa may yet see them through these early days of uncertainty.
Last season, they would have given up the ghost after surrendering the lead in such dramatic fashion.
Now, at least, there is a willingness to repair the damage, and Kevin Richardson might easily have had a hat-trick before Brown delivered his late killer blow.
The former Everton and Arsenal midfielder saw one shot deflected wide and another cannon off the acrobatic Mikiosko, although he will be unhappy at not converting a 40-yard Gordon Cowans pass which left him clear of the West Ham defence.
He was even helped by Miklosko's stumble, but still managed only to shoot straight at the keeper's legs.
On the plus side, the back four were solid apart from that nightmare three-minute spell, while Tony Daley pressed his claim for an England call-up.