4-1

*Four-star Villa fuelled by inspirational Merson*

Slow out of the blocks, suddenly Aston Villa are flying.

A comfortable win over a limp Derby County, who never looked like ending their sorry record of being the only team in the English professional leagues without a win and slumped to bottom of the Premiership, made it 10 points from their last four games for Villa and could have a clutch of seemingly disaffected players thinking again about needing to move to more ambitious clubs.

Somehow John Gregory has kept Paul Merson, Gareth Southgate and Julian Joachim onside after all have talked of leaving in the past few months and all were outstanding yesterday.

It may be the trio’s professionalism, or a desire to put themselves in the shop window, but while Gregory holds on to them, Villa’s form could prove more than a false dawn.

None is flying more than Merson, who will be doing literally just that today, having been given his manager’s thanks and blessing to jet off to Florida for a week’s holiday.

The inventive Merson unlocked the game by setting up Joachim’s first goal before scoring a fortuitous one himself, his 100th league goal.

Then, after Alan Wright had drilled home a belter and Chris Riggott pulled one back for a belatedly stirred Derby, Joachim sealed a fair scoreline.

“One or two players have shot themselves in the foot but we are a pretty tight bunch of blokes” said Gregory.

Merson, still seeking an extension to his contract, impressed with his ‘desire and hunger’, added Gregory; Southgate was ‘a diamond, which is why I don’t want him to go’, while Joachim ‘fell out with me, I didn’t fall out with him’.

Loved by some, loathed by others, the outspoken Villa manager does have a knack of getting players to produce.

Joachim got his chance only because of a thigh injury to David Ginola, who was replaced in the 19th minute. Within another 10, he had tucked Merson’s through-pass past Mart Poom and Villa were up and running. They soon turned midfield dominance into goals.

Before the break, Merson emphasised the disharmony in the Derby defence when his cross drifted to the far post, with the Estonian Poom and the German Stefan Schnoor the width of the Baltic apart when it came to communication.

Derby manager Jim Smith threw on three attacking substitutes for the second half but it backfired when Villa exploited gaps further back, Steve Stone supplying Joachim for a low cross from the right, which found Wright on the edge of the penalty area. His sweet shot saw the far corner of the net bulging.

Riggott provided a spark for disparate Derby by heading home Craig Burley’s corner but there was no fire. ‘It’s worrying,’ were Smith’s reported words afterwards: the Derby manager chose not to come to the press room. The concern will have increased at the way his defence allowed Joachim to weave along the left byline before clipping the ball home. It will be interesting to see who Gregory selects for the next match - Joachim or Ginola.

Villa Park is currently a building site, with the old Trinity Road stand being rebuilt, though its beautiful red-brick facade is apparently being retained. It is like the team. If old heads remain and a couple of quality players are added, it could be good when it’s finished.