FOR over 70 minutes Villa protected John Fashanu's seventh minute lead goal before Ehiogu sealed the points.

John Fashanu launched Aston Villa's new look with a goal after only six minutes at home to OPR.

Shaun Teale had to push his goalkeeper, Mark Bosnich, away from a free kick deep in his own half and then launched a devastating ball into the Rangers box.

Dean Saunders' shot was blocked, but the ball fell to Fashanu. who turned on the edge of the box and his right loot lashed a shot in off the base of Tony Roberts' left-hand post - his first goal since scoring on his Villa debut on the opening day of the season.

Manager Brian Little, bidding to complete a long climb out of the bottom four, kept new boy Gary Charles waiting tor his debut. But Tommy Johnson. the senior partner in the £2.9m deal with Derby came in alongside John Fashanu and Saunders, with the other new arrival £1m lan Taylor given a free role behind them.

It was an adventurous 3-4-3 line-up, dictated partially by suspensions to Andy Townsend and Kevin Richardson, while Bosnich, 23 yesterday, came in for flu-hit Nigel Spink.

Taylor made a great run from deep in the 20th minute and it took dogged defending by Danny Maddox to hold him off.

Eight minutes later, he tested Roberts with a well-struck shot from 25 yards, but in between the midfielder was booked for an innocuous foul on Michael Meaker.

Villa had an incredible escape in the 29th minute when Kevin Gallen dashed between Paul McGrath and Bosnich and chipped towards the empty goal.

Teale could not get back in time, but was reprieved when the ball bounced against the post and into his path to clear.

Rangers, who had Yates booked, rattled the Villa woodwork again in the 30th minute. David Bardsley had put Les Ferdinand into space on the right. His cross was volleyed by Gallen into the ground and the ball ricocheted up on to the top of the crossbar.