*Ginola’s strike supplies lifeline*

Aston Villa’s captain Paul Merson was thankful that a fine strike from David Ginola handed his team an Intertoto Cup third-round lifeline against Slaven Belupo on Saturday.

Villa may have slipped to a 2-1 defeat in Croatia, but Ginola’s stunning 30-yard drive that briefly put the team on level terms could prove crucial in Saturday’s second leg at Villa Park. “David’s goal got us out of jail,” said Merson. “It rescued us and kept us in the tie. This is two-legged football and it does not matter how you play as long as you go through.

“After David scored I thought we would draw 1-1, but to be honest they deserved a 2-1 win.”

The result will have left Villa’s manager John Gregory feeling even worse, after he was unable to make the trip to the Balkans having suffered a bout of food poisoning.

Yet it could have been a far bigger winning margin for the home side, who had dominated proceedings in the second half but only goals from Pavo Crnac and Goran Gersak accrued from their 17 shots on target.

“The heat played a big part,” admitted Merson. “We have only had a week’s training, but I am not making any excuses. The better team won and we have got to make sure that we are fitter next time.”

Villa, bidding to recover quickly from the recent sales of David James to West Ham and Gareth Southgate to Middlesbrough, left their £9.5m record signing Juan Pablo Angel and winger Ginola on the bench. With Gregory on his sick bed, the reserve-team manager Kevin MacDonald and the chief scout Ross MacLaren took charge of affairs.