*Jubilant Joachim powers through*

Aston Villa celebrated the full opening of their new stand - apart from its use during England’s win over Spain 11 days ago - with their first win in five weeks and their first Premiership victory at home since November.

Julian Joachim scored twice in the space of 18 minutes to overcome a first-half Alan Armstrong goal and take his own tally to five in six games, which must be worrying for Juan Pablo Angel, the £10 million Colombian striker left on the substitutes’ bench for the second game in succession.

And with David Ginola starting his first game for two months, Villa’s supporters finally had something to cheer as their side got the points that should erase any fears of being drawn into the relegation zone, although it took them a while to get going.

Joachim almost made his tally three, and six in seven games, when he had another clear run on goal in the 85th minute, but he was denied his hat-trick by a perfectly timed tackle from Chris Makin, making his Ipswich debut after being signed from Sunderland this week.

The final minutes brought the game’s first caution - to that well-known clogger Ginola, for a foul on Fabian Wilnis - and a standing ovation for the French winger when he was substituted soon afterwards.

Ginola saw plenty of the ball but struggled to make an impression the way he used to. Perhaps it was ring rust, or simply that at 34 he cannot go past defenders with the same ease. He still managed to swing in half-a-dozen crosses, but Joachim was nowhere near them and Dion Dublin was nowhere to be seen.

Joachim unsettled the Ipswich defence with his pace and willingness to run at players, having a shot tipped away for a corner by Richard Wright in the 4th minute and setting up a chance for Lee Hendrie to have a similar shot deflected wide 10 minutes later.

Ipswich took a while to get warmed up going forward, but after a couple of off-target headers from James Scowcroft, Armstrong opened the scoring on the half-hour.

The goal had an element of luck about it, as Armstrong appeared to have delayed his shot after getting goal-side of Steve Stone.

But as Gareth Southgate slid in to tackle, the ball cannoned off Armstrong’s leg and flew past David James into the Villa net.

It was tough on Southgate, returning after seven weeks out through injury, because the Villa captain gave his side the sort of assurance in defence they lacked in his absence.

Villa improved after the break, however, and were rewarded with the two goals in the space of 18 minutes from Joachim.

First, in the 53rd minute, he wriggled his way past two defenders on the edge of the Ipswich penalty area to fire in a left-foot shot that struck the inside of the far post before crossing the line.

Then, with 20 minutes remaining, Joachim gave Villa the lead. A precision through-pass from Paul Merson allowed Joachim to sprint clear of John McGreal and hit the ball with the outside of his right foot, off the same post and in.

But it was not all Villa. Ipswich still looked lively on the break, and David James made a good save to keep out a fierce shot from Armstrong, just as he had denied Martijn Reuser in the first-half.

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*The Guardian*
Monday, 12 March, 2001

*Joachim rediscovers hunger to leave Ipswich feeling empty*

Despite an unexpected cameo appearance in the Anthony Hopkins film Hannibal, Julian Joachim was, thankfully, eating only his words here.

At the start of the season the little striker, frustrated at the lack of a starting place and new contract, publicly vowed never to play for Aston Villa again while John Gregory was in charge. But Joachim’s appetite for goals has returned with a vengeance. Five in his last six games, including Saturday’s two to beat third-placed Ipswich, not only helped ease Villa’s relegation worries but probably saved the job of the man whom he promised never to work with again.

Gregory and Joachim have sort of made up but the player will still wait to see if he gets a decent run in the team before deciding his future in the summer.

There is one way to ensure a smooth future, though. “I’ve made enough mistakes so perhaps I’m not one to to give advice,” said Joachim’s team-mate Paul Merson. “But if you want a contract you have to perform.”

Joachim’s sudden goal feast has certainly helped mend bridges with the Villa Park faithful. So upset were they by Joachim’s heresy at not wanting to wear the claret and blue that they booed his every touch when he was forced to turn out.

But on Saturday, as he led his team’s comeback win against an unconvincing Ipswich, Joachim was a hero again, his old place on the bench now reserved for the man bought to replace him, the £9.5m Juan Pablo Angel.

“It really hurts when your own fans turn on you,” said Joachim. “I said a couple of things which I regret and I’ve sorted it out now with John Gregory but it’s very hard trying to win over your supporters. The way to convince them is to keep scoring.”

In Hannibal, Joachim somehow appeared on a TV screen in the background to a scene from the cannibalisitic sequel. But he is not taking up acting.

The only rehearsals he believes in are the repetitive one-on-one drills with a goalkeeper after training, designed to ensure that once his pace has taken him clear of the defence, the finishing becomes instinctive.

Come curtain-up against Ipswich he did not fluff his lines. It was Joachim’s willingness to run at defenders which carried Villa’s main attacking threat all afternoon, a verve rewarded on 52 minutes when he pulled back Ipswich’s early goal, wriggling past three challenges, shrugging off John McGreal’s flimsy tackle and scoring via the post for 1-1.

Then with 20 minutes left, Merson’s brilliant through ball sent him clear on goal for a cooly converted winner again off the post.

It brought Villa their first home league win since November, a triumph not only for Joachim, but for Gregory’s decision, in search of more width, to play 4-4-2 for the first time this season and start David Ginola for the first time in nine games.

The new strategy got off to a shaky start as Villa, looking uncertain, went behind on 29 minutes. As Gareth Southgate, back from injury, tackled Alun Armstrong in the six-yard box, he saw the ball cannon off the striker’s leg into the net.

But Villa tightened up in the second half and got their reward. It makes Gregory’s job safe for now though he still has an awful lot of work to do at Villa Park to get anywhere near justifying the presence of a Champions Lounge in the vast new main stand.

As for Ipswich, defeat probably did them a favour. They have made the great strides under George Burley and though on Saturday they were without Titus Bramble and the leading scorer Marcus Stewart, both suspended, this sort of defeat to an average Villa side only makes one fear for the embarrassment that may follow if they win a place in the Champions League.