Game #4748
Tuesday, 28 January 2003
Attendance: 27,546
Won
Premier League
12th (+2)
Middlesbrough
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟩
Riverside Stadium
Villa win away for the first time this season as they put five past Boro to make it nine wins in twenty five Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they climb to 12th in the table.
Middlesbrough
2-5
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Thomas Hitzlsperger | 47’ | 90’ | Jlloyd Samuel | 81’ |
KEY MAN
Joey Guðjónsson, made a goalscoring debut as Villa hit five at Boro, Tuesday, 28 January 2003.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🟢 | 1’ Debut, Joey Guðjónsson
🥅 | 33’ Goal, 0-1, (Middlesbrough), Massimo Maccarone
⚽ | 34’ Goal, 1-1, Darius Vassell
🥅 | 35’ Goal, 1-2, (Middlesbrough), Jonathan Greening
⚽ | 31’ Goal, 2-2, Joey Guðjónsson
🕒 | HT Middlesbrough 2-2 Aston Villa
⚽ | 47’ Goal, 3-2, Gareth Barry, Assist by Thomas Hitzlsperger
🟨 | 51’ Booking, Joey Guðjónsson
🟨 | 73’ Booking, Dion Dublin
🔁 | 78’ Sub off, Stefan Moore, Sub on, Steve Staunton
⚽ | 81’ Goal, 4-2, Darius Vassell, Assist by Jlloyd Samuel
🔁 | 89’ Sub off, Joey Guðjónsson, Sub on, Lee Hendrie
⚽ | 90’ Goal, 5-2, Dion Dublin, Assist by Thomas Hitzlsperger
🕒 | FT Middlesbrough 2-5 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Villa recorded their biggest win of the season and won for the first time in three games to make it 12 Premier League wins in 38 matches under Graham Taylor as Joey Guðjónsson made a goalscoring debut for Villa aged 22 after joining from Real Betis on loan earlier this month.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Middlesbrough
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Middlesbrough
Previous 5 vs. Middlesbrough: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟥 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2002-03 |
Matchday | #34 |
League Game | #25 |
Manager Game | #47 |
Tuesday, 28 January 2003
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Graham Taylor | 🏴 | Worksop, 2002-2003
Referee: Dermot Gallagher | 🏴 | Oxfordshire, 1990-2007
Kick off: 7.45pm
HT Score: 🟨 2-2
FT Score: 🟩 5-2
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Dermot Gallagher | 🏴 | Oxfordshire, 1990-2007
Previous 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟨 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 18 August 2001, Villa 0-0 Tottenham, White Hart Lane.
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Darius Vassell returns as Joey Guðjónsson makes his debut with Lee Hendrie and Ian Taylor dropping out.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 24.98 |
Oldest Player |
CF Dion Dublin | 🏴 | 33.79 |
Youngest Player |
F Stefan Moore | 🏴 | 19.35 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Graham Taylor | 🏴 |
Steve McLaren | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Peter Enckelman | 🇫🇮 |
CB Olof Mellberg | 🇸🇪 |
CB Ronny Johnsen | 🇳🇴 |
RB Mark Delaney | 🏴 |
RB Jlloyd Samuel | 🏴 | 🔥 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | ⚽ |
M Joey Guðjónsson | 🇮🇸 | 🟢 | ⚽ | 🟨 | 🔁 |
M Thomas Hitzlsperger | 🇩🇪 | 🔥 | 🔥 |
CF Dion Dublin | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
F Stefan Moore | 🏴 | 🔁 |
F Darius Vassell | 🏴 | ⚽ | ⚽ |
Middlesbrough
GK Mark Schwarzer | 🇦🇺 |
LB Frank Queudrue | 🇫🇷 |
LB Tony Vidmar | 🇦🇺 |
CB Andrew Davies | 🏴 |
RB Stuart Parnaby | 🏴 |
M George Boateng (ex) | 🇳🇱 | 🟨 |
M Jonathan Greening | 🏴 | ⚽ |
M Njitap Geremi | 🇨🇲 |
CF Massimo Maccarone | 🇮🇹 | ⚽ |
CF Joseph-Désiré Job | 🇨🇲 | 🔁 |
F Szilard Németh | 🇸🇰 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 | for F Stefan Moore | 🏴 | 78’ |
🔁 M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 | for M Joey Guðjónsson | 🇮🇸 | 89’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CF Joseph-Désiré Job | 🇨🇲 | (LB David Murphy | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stefan Postma | 🇳🇱 |
RB Ulises de la Cruz | 🇪🇨 |
CF Peter Crouch | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Mark Crossley | 🏴 |
LB Colin Cooper | 🏴 |
RB Luke Wilkshire | 🇦🇺 |
W Stewart Downing | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/11
Homegrown: 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/16
Homegrown: 6/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 3/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not reported
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
M Joey Guðjónsson | 🇮🇸 |
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not reported
TABLE

PROGRAMME

MATCHDAY QUOTES
“It’s the end of an embarrassing record, and at least it was not a 1-0 win.
“It was our first away win in the Premiership this season as everyone will know, and we are very, very pleased about it.
“I couldn’t believe it that we were 2-0 up and just threw it away, as defensively we have been excellent all season, but great credit to the players for overcoming that.
“I’m very happy with Joey, he’s a 22-year-old boy on loan until the end of the season when we have an option to purchase.
“I’m quite excited with him, he gives us an edge in midfield we have not had all season.
“His age is right, the competitiveness about the boy is right, he will get better and I’m very hopeful we will be able to make it permanent.
“We put him on the free-kicks and were expecting him to shoot - but not from 40 yards.
“He’s only played five games for Betis this season, this was his first in the Premiership so I’m very, very pleased with him.”
Graham Taylor.
*The Guardian*
Wednesday, 29 January, 2003
*Vassell leads Villa’s high five*
Aston Villa, who had previously scored only four away goals in 11 away games, more than doubled that tally as they ended the Premiership’s only unbeaten home record in stunning fashion.
The Villa manager Graham Taylor, who confessed to being embarrassed by his team’s abysmal record, was a relieved man as they finally achieved their first win on their travels.
The first half was barely believable, particularly for the Villa supporters who had witnessed only four goals away from home this season. It was easy to see why for 23 inconsequential minutes before Graham Taylor’s team suddenly improved their strike-rate by 50% with two goals in quick succession.
Darius Vassell claimed the first when he turned away from Stuart Parnaby’s unconvincing challenge and surged forward before beating Mark Schwarzer from 14 yards.
The Australian goalkeeper, given no chance by Vassell’s crisp finish, was certainly culpable seven minutes later when he presented Joey Gudjonsson with a goal on his debut. Schwarzer should have routinely collected the the Icelandic midfielder’s 30-yard free-kick, but inexplicably allowed it to elude him.
Middlesbrough were stunned and their plight would have been even worse if Thomas Hitzlsperger had accepted a close-range opportunity in between the two Villa goals.
However, Steve McClaren’s side were not prepared to relinquish their unbeaten home record meekly and they responded with two goals in the space of three minutes. Geremi was the provider with a 33rd-minute cross which Massimo Maccarone headed in after an inventive touch from Joseph-Desire Job. Then Jonathan Greening eased away from Olof Mellberg on the edge of the area before steering in his first goal of the season.
Villa were soon ahead again when Hitzlsperger was off-target with a fiercely-driven shot which ended up at the feet of Gareth Barry near the penalty spot. He calmly steered it past Schwarzer as Middlesbrough’s defenders appealed for offside.
Villa were now a team oozing confidence and almost stretched their lead when Maccarone cleared off the line from Stefan Moore in the 61st minute. Their fourth goal was no surprise. Vassell scored with an angled shot past Schwarzer following a cross by Jlloyd Samuel. Dion Dublin completed the rout.