Game #4461
Aston Villa
Saturday, 22 February 1997
Drew
6th (-1)
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟨
Premier League
Attendance: 25,239
Nottingham Forest
City Ground
Villa are held at the City Ground but extend their unbeaten Premier League run to three games.
Nottingham Forest
0-0
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | None
KEY MAN
Savo Milošević, robbed of a goal by the refereeing of Graham Barber.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
Saturday, 22 February 1997
🕒 | HT Nottingham Forest 0-0 Aston Villa
🔁 | 46’ Sub off, Steve Staunton, Sub on, Riccardo Scimeca
🕒 | FT Nottingham Forest 0-0 Aston Villa
🟨 | Booking, Fernando Nélson
ON THIS DAY
Former Villa forward Dean Saunders lined up for Forest as a poor refereeing decision robs Villa of an 88' winner.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Nottingham Forest
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆🏆
League Champions: 🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1989-90
FIXTURE HISTORY
Nottingham Forest
Previous 5 vs. Forest: 🟩 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1996-97 |
Matchday | #34 |
League Game | #27 |
Manager Game | #115 |
Saturday, 22 February 1997
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Brian Little | 🏴 | Peterlee, 1994-1998
Referee: Graham Barber | 🏴 | Tring, 1994-2004
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟨
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Graham Barber | 🏴 | Tring, 1994-2004 🆘
Previous 5: None
Last Match: None
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Villa name an unchanged line up.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.57 |
Oldest Player
M Andy Townsend | 🇮🇪 | 33.61 |
Youngest Player
F Savo Milošević | 🇷🇸 | 23.49 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Brian Little | 🏴 |
Stuart Pearce | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Mark Bosnich | 🇦🇺 |
RB Fernando Nélson | 🇵🇹 | 🟨 |
CB Gareth Southgate | 🏴 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴 |
LB Alan Wright | 🏴 |
🔁 | LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 |
M Mark Draper | 🏴 |
M Ian Taylor | 🏴 |
M Andy Townsend | 🇮🇪 |
CF Savo Milošević | 🇷🇸 |
CF Dwight Yorke | 🇹🇹 |
Nottingham Forest
GK Mark Crossley | 🏴 |
RB Des Lyttle | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CB Steve Chettle | 🏴 |
LB Colin Cooper | 🏴 |
M Alf-Inge Håland | 🇳🇴 |
M David Phillips | 🏴 |
M Scott Gemmill | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Nigel Clough | 🏴 |
M Chris Bart-Williams | 🏴 |
W Bryan Roy | 🇳🇱 | 🔁 |
CF Dean Saunders (ex) | 🏴 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CB Riccardo Scimeca | 🏴 | for LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 | 46’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | W Bryan Roy | 🇳🇱 | (M Ian Woan | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Michael Oakes | 🏴 |
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 |
CF Tommy Johnson | 🏴 |
CF Julian Joachim | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Alan Fettis | 🇬🇧 |
CB Steve Blatherwick | 🏴 |
M Chris Allen | 🏴 |
W Paul McGregor | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 14/16
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
"Villa boss Brian Little was in earnest conversation with the Surrey official as the teams went down the tunnel at the end but Milosevic surprisingly put a friendly arm around the referee's shoulder as team-mates moved in to add their protests."
*Sunday Tribune*
Sunday, 16 February 1997
Forest avoid drop zone
REFEREE Graham Barber controversially disallowed an 88th minute Aston Villa 'goal' by Savo Milosevic to help keep Nottingham Forest out of the Premiership's bottom three ahead of the City Ground club's crucial take-over meeting on Monday night.
Milosevic thought he had finally scored only his eighth goal of the season when he clipped Dwight Yorke's pass beyond goalkeeper Mark Crossley but it was wiped out, presumably for a narrow offside decision against one of his team-mates.
Villa boss Brian Little was in earnest conversation with the Surrey official as the teams went down the tunnel at the end but Milosevic surprisingly put a friendly arm around the referee's shoulder as team-mates moved in to add their protests.
Player-manager Stuart Pearce, completing a two-match suspension, dropped lan Woan and recalled Nigel Clough, but Forest's passing was poor and they rarely threatened Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich.
Villa would have had the game wrapped up by half time but for a frustratingly familiar spate of misses by Milosevic. The big Yugoslav, caught fractionally offside when racing clear onto Andy Townsend's pass in the 10th minute, then headed high and wide of an empty goal two minutes later when Crossley's miscued clearance from an awkward back-pass flew straight to him at the edge of the penalty box.
Milosevic wasted an even better opportunity five minutes later when Yorke set him up perfectly after slipping between two defenders.
And even 17-goal top scorer Yorke caught the chance missing bug when he failed to put away Alan Wright's superb cross at the far post.
Yorke nearly atoned in brilliant style just before the break when he shrugged off a David Phillips challenge to fire powerfully into the side netting from an improbable angle. But Villa's luck was still out in the second half which they still largely controlled despite losing Steve Staunton with a pulled hamstring in the opening minute after the break.
Mark Draper's header was cleared off the line by Forest's Steve Chettle after great work by Milosevic, Yorke and Wright opened up the defence. And Crossley pulled off the save of the match from Yorke's drilled low drive before being let off by that late, late decision against Milosevic.