Game #4521
Saturday, 25 April 1998
Attendance: 38,392
Lost
Premier League
8th (-)
Bolton Wanderers
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥
Villa Park
Villa lose only their second Premier League game in ten under John Gregory as they are beaten at home by Bolton.
Aston Villa
1-3
Bolton Wanderers
Assist(s) | Savo Milošević | 57’ |
KEY MAN
Ian Taylor, spectacular goal
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🥅 | 18’ Goal, 0-1, (Bolton Wanderers), Neil Cox
🥅 | 41’ Goal, 0-2, (Bolton Wanderers), Bob Taylor
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-2 Bolton Wanderers
⚽ | 57’ Goal, 1-2, Ian Taylor, Assist by Savo Milošević
🔁 | 32’ Sub off, Steve Staunton, Sub on, Riccardo Scimeca
🔁 | 45’ Sub off, Gareth Southgate, Sub on, Simon Grayson
🔁 | 58’ Sub off, Savo Milošević, Sub on, Stan Collymore
🥅 | 84’ Goal, 1-3, (Bolton Wanderers), Nathan Blake
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 1-3 Bolton Wanderers
ON THIS DAY
Villa suffered a surprise defeat to relegation club Bolton - their first loss in 7 games under John Gregory.
Former Villa full back Neil Cox and future Villa midfielder Alan Thompson lined up for Bolton.
Cox scored the opening goal for his new club at Villa Park.
Centre forward Savo Milošević made his final Villa appearance aged 24 before moving on to Real Zaragoza in July 1998. Milošević played for Villa between 1995-96 and 1997-98 making 117 eventful appearances and scoring 34 goals.
Left back Steve Staunton made the final appearance of his first spell with Villa aged 29 before returning to Liverpool in July 1997 on a free transfer. Staunton had played for Villa between 1991-92 and 1997-98. Staunton had allowed his contract to run down to facilitate a return to Liverpool. Staunton would however return to Villa again in 2000 after his move to Liverpool and subsequent loans failed to work out.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Bolton Wanderers
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: 1957-58
FIXTURE HISTORY
Bolton Wanderers
Previous 5 vs. Bolton: 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1997-98 |
Matchday | #49 |
League Game | #36 |
Manager Game | #11 |
Saturday, 25 April 1998
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: John Gregory | 🏴 | Scunthorpe, 1998-2002
Referee: David Elleray | 🏴 | Harrow, 1986-2003
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-2
FT Score: 🟥 1-3
FT Result: 🟥 Lost
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: David Elleray | 🏴 | Harrow, 1986-2003
Previous 5: 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 20 December 1997, Villa 1-1 Southampton, Villa Park.
Cards: 🟨
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Savo Milošević replaces Simon Grayson.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.48 |
Oldest Player
M Ian Taylor | 🏴 | 29.91 |
Youngest Player
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 | 20.95 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
John Gregory | 🏴 |
Colin Todd | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Mark Bosnich | 🇦🇺 |
LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 | 🔁 | 🔴 |
LB Alan Wright | 🏴 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴 |
CB Gareth Southgate | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 |
M Mark Draper | 🏴 |
M Ian Taylor | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CF Dwight Yorke | 🇹🇹 |
CF Savo Milošević | 🇷🇸 | 🔥 | 🔁 | 🔴 |
CF Julian Joachim | 🏴 |
Bolton Wanderers
GK Keith Branagan | 🇮🇪 |
RB Neil Cox (ex) | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CB Gerry Taggart | 🇬🇧 |
CB Guðni Bergsson | 🇮🇸 |
CB Mark Fish | 🇿🇦 | 🔁 |
LB Jimmy Phillips | 🏴 |
M Alan Thompson | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M John Sheridan | 🇮🇪 |
M Per Frandsen | 🇩🇰 | 🔁 |
CF Bob Taylor | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
CF Nathan Blake | 🏴 | ⚽ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CB Riccardo Scimeca | 🏴 | for LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 | 32’ |
🔁 | RB Simon Grayson | 🏴 | for CB Gareth Southgate | 🏴 | 45’ |
🔁 | CF Stan Collymore | 🏴 | for CF Savo Milošević | 🇷🇸 | 58’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CB Mark Fish | 🇿🇦 | (CB Chris Fairclough | 🏴 |)
🔁 | M Per Frandsen | 🇩🇰 | (M Michael Johansen | 🇩🇰 |)
🔁 | CF Bob Taylor | 🏴 | (CF Gaetano Giallanza | 🇨🇭 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Michael Oakes | 🏴 |
RB Fernando Nélson | 🇵🇹 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Jussi Jääskeläinen | 🇫🇮 |
W John Salako | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/16
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
CF Savo Milošević | 🇷🇸 |
LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 |
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"Villa's Julian Joachim came within inches of grabbing an equaliser when he toe-poked the ball over Branagan but the ball rebounded back off the bar into the hands of the grateful Bolton goalkeeper."
*Sunday Tribune*
Sunday, 26 April 1998
BOLTON threw themselves a Premiership lifeline with a 3- 1 over Aston Villa which dealt a massive blow to the home side's UEFA Cup hopes.
First half goals from Villa old boy Neil Cox and on-loan West Brom striker Bob Taylor plus a late effort from Nathan Blake sealed Bolton's first away win since the opening day of the season at Southampton.
Villa were quickly into their stride and Bolton keeper Keith Branagan blocked a low drive from Lee Hendrie as the visitors were forced onto the defensive.
But Colin Todd's side stunned the near full house by taking the lead with their first decisive move after 18 minutes.
Alan Thompson a possible target for Villa manager John Gregory threaded a pass through to Cox who got in front of the covering defender Alan Wright.
Cox was able to get in a low left-footed drive which crept past Mark Bosnich's despairing drive and into the net off the near post.
Villa retaliated and Branagan failed to hold onto a low Hendrie effort but, when the rebound fell to Dwight Yorke, he completely miskicked.
But four minutes before the interval Bolton went further ahead. Yorke's crossfield pass played Riccardo Scimeca, a replacement for the injured Steve Staunton, into trouble and let in Bob Taylor.
Taylor found himself with a free run on goal and he beat Bosnich inside his near post with a rising drive from the edge of the area.
Villa were soon back on the offensive in the second period and Milosevic saw a goalbound shot ricochet off a Bolton defender to safety.
Villa were not to be denied lan Taylor reduced the deficit with a spectacular goal after 56 minutes. Milosevic played the ball back to the Villa midfielder whose rising left-footed 25 yard effort flew past the stranded Branagan into the roof of the net.
Gregory then replaced Milosevic with Stan Collymore for his first action since having a cortisone injection to try cure a groin problem.
Villa's Julian Joachim came within inches of grabbing an equaliser when he toe-poked the ball over Branagan but the ball rebounded back off the bar into the hands of the grateful Bolton goalkeeper.
It was constant one-way traffic towards the Bolton goal but six minutes from time the visitors broke away to earn the corner from which they clinched their victory.
Thompson's corner picked out Blake at the near post and his header entered the net off the body of Bosnich.