Game #4807
Saturday, 14 August 2004
Attendance: 36,690
Won
Premier League
1st=
Southampton
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟨 🟥 🟩
Villa Park
Villa beat Southampton on the opening day of the season as they look to improve on their sixth placed finish under David O'Leary in 2003-04.
Aston Villa
2-0
Southampton
Assist(s) | Darius Vassell | 34’ |
KEY MAN
Darius Vassell celebrates scoring Villa's first of the season on 12' as Southampton are beaten, Saturday, 14 August 2004.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🟢 | 1’ Debut, Martin Laursen, Carlton Cole
⚽ | 12’ Goal, 1-0, Darius Vassell, Assist by Lee Hendrie
🔁 | 22’ Sub off, Lee Hendrie, Sub on, Peter Whittingham
⚽ | 34’ Goal, 2-0, Carlton Cole, Assist by Darius Vassell
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 2-0 Southampton
🔁 | 75’ Sub off, Peter Whittingham, Sub on, Ulises de la Cruz
🔁 | 85’ Sub off, Darius Vassell, Sub on, Luke Moore
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 2-0 Southampton
ON THIS DAY
Villa open the season with a victory over Southampton as loanee Carlton Cole shows a forward line presence unfamiliar to Villa for a long while.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Southampton
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: 🏆
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: 1975-76
FIXTURE HISTORY
Southampton
Previous 5 vs. Southampton: 🟩 🟥 🟨 🟩 🟨
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2004-05 |
Matchday | #1 |
League Game | #1 |
Manager Game | #46 |
Saturday, 14 August 2004
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: David O’Leary | 🇮🇪 | Stoke Newington, 2003-2006
Referee: Uriah Rennie | 🏴 | Sheffield, 1994-2009
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 2-0
FT Score: 🟩 2-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟨 🟥 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Uriah Rennie | 🏴 | Sheffield, 1994-2009
Previous 5: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 4 Apr 04, Villa 1-1 Manchester City (h)
Cards: None
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
David O’Leary hands debuts to Martin Laursen and Carlton Cole.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 25.36 |
Oldest Player |
RB Mark Delaney | 🏴 | 28.27 |
Youngest Player |
CF Carlton Cole | 🏴 | 20.77 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
Paul Sturrock | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Thomas Sörensen | 🇩🇰 |
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 | 🟢 |
CB Olof Mellberg | 🇸🇪 |
RB Mark Delaney | 🏴 |
RB Jlloyd Samuel | 🏴 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 |
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 | 🔥 | 🔁 |
M Thomas Hitzlsperger | 🇩🇪 |
M Gavin McCann | 🏴 |
CF Carlton Cole | 🏴 | 🟢 | ⚽ |
F Darius Vassell | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🔥 | 🔁 |
Southampton
GK Antti Niemi | 🇫🇮 |
LB Graeme Le Saux | 🏴 |
CB Claus Lundekvam | 🇳🇴 |
CB Danny Higginbotham | 🏴 |
RB Jason Dodd | 🏴 |
RB Mikael Nilsson | 🇸🇪 | 🔁 |
M David Prutton | 🏴 |
M Yoann Folly | 🇹🇬 | 🔁 |
W Fabrice Fernandes | 🇫🇷 |
F Kevin Phillips | 🏴 |
CF Brett Ormerod | 🏴 | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 W Peter Whittingham | 🏴 | 🔁 | for M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 | 22’ |
🔁 RB Ulises de la Cruz | 🇪🇨 | for W Peter Whittingham | 🏴 | 75’ |
🔁 F Luke Moore | 🏴 | for F Darius Vassell | 🏴 | 85’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | RB Mikael Nilsson | 🇸🇪 | (M Anders Svensson | 🇸🇪 |)
🔁 | M Yoann Folly | 🇹🇬 | (M Rory Delap | 🇮🇪 |)
🔁 | CF Brett Ormerod | 🏴 | (CF Peter Crouch (ex) | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stefan Postma | 🇳🇱 |
M Mathieu Berson | 🇫🇷 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Paul Smith | 🏴 |
CB Darren Kenton | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Homegrown: 4/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/16
Homegrown: 6/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/14
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
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 |
CF Carlton Cole | 🏴 |
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"Villa made a very bright start to the match, Darius Vassell’s pace forcing Claus Lundekvam into a hurried backward pass, only for
Gareth Barry to blaze over from 12 yards with just Niemi to beat."
*BBC Sport*
Saturday, 14 August, 2004
Aston Villa’s strike pairing of Carlton Cole and Darius Vassell sparked them to a comfortable opening-day win over Southampton.
England striker Vassell gave Villa an early lead, reacting first after Lee Hendrie’s shot was blocked. Vassell then turned provider with a pass that allowed Cole to race clear and bury his shot past Antti Niemi.
Southampton showed some improvement after the break, with Kevin Phillips and Fabrice Fernandes going close.
Villa made a very bright start to the match, Darius Vassell’s pace forcing Claus Lundekvam into a hurried backward pass, only for
Gareth Barry to blaze over from 12 yards with just Niemi to beat.
Southampton’s defence was flat-footed again on seven minutes when Carlton Cole rose highest to Thomas Hitzlsperger’s free-kick to thump in a header which Niemi palmed away.
Villa continued to ask questions and grabbed the lead on 12 minutes through Vassell.
Jlloyd Samuel’s cross was hooked on by Barry for Lee Hendrie whose shot was blocked, and Vassell reacted first to stab the ball home from six yards.
Danger again loomed when Cole worked his way to the by-line, only for his cross to deflect safely into Niemi’s arms.
Without the injured James Beattie, Southampton’s pint-sized strikeforce of Brett Ormerod and Kevin Phillips struggled to make any impact on Villa’s solid central pairing of Olof Mellberg and Martin Laursen.
In contrast, Villa were bright and sharp about their business and Lundekvam’s interception provided substitute Peter Whittingham with another opportunity, but this time Niemi stood firm to parry.
Villa keeper Thomas Sorensen had been a spectator for the opening half-hour but produced an amazing point-blank save to deny Mikael Nilsson a debut goal after Ormerod had pulled the ball back.
Normal service was resumed, though, when Villa doubled their lead on 35 minutes.
Vassell simply dinked the ball over Southampton’s square back line and Cole outpaced Lundekvam to smack the ball home on the rise.
Saints emerged with more purpose after the break, no doubt following some stinging words from Paul Sturrock.
Half-time substitute Rory Delap’s long throw was only half cleared to Fabrice Fernandes who volleyed wide from 18 yards.
It then needed a perfectly-timed tackle from Gavin McCann to deny David Prutton as Southampton opened Villa up for the first time, then Phillips’ stinging shot from 20 yards had to be grabbed at the second attempt by Sorensen.
Jason Dodd was harshly penalised for a foul on McCann, giving Hitzlsperger a sight of goal but from 20 yards out the German youngster drove wide of the target.
And Southampton’s miserable afternoon was summed up when Fernandes’ goal-bound shot struck team-mate Phillips with Sorensen beaten.