Game #4885
Saturday, 25 March 2006
Attendance: 32,605
Drew
Premier League
16th (-1)
Fulham
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟨
Villa Park
Villa stop a run of three consecutive defeats to draw with struggling Fulham and make it just eight wins in thirty one Premier League games under David O'Leary.
Aston Villa
0-0
Fulham
Assist(s) | None
KEY MAN
“We're not fickle, we just don't like you", rarely can a manager have developed such a visceral hatred as David O'Leary managed at Villa, Saturday, 25 March 2006.
RELATED MATCHES
MATCH TIMELINE
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-0 Fulham
🔁 | 58’ Sub off, Lee Hendrie, Sub on, Gabriel Agbonlahor
🔁 | 73’ Sub off, Luke Moore, Sub on, Juan Pablo Ángel
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 0-0 Fulham
ON THIS DAY
Villa stop a run of three defeats but they now have just eight Premier League wins in the last 36 games under O’Leary’s leadership as the barely hidden contempt within which the manager is held by a large swathe of the support breaks out into the open.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Fulham
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Previous 5 vs. Fulham: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟨 🟨
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2005-06 |
Matchday | #38 |
League Game | #31 |
Manager Game | #124 |
Saturday, 25 March 2006
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: David O’Leary | 🇮🇪 | Stoke Newington, 2003-2006
Referee: Lee Mason | 🏴 | Bolton, 2006-2021
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟨
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Lee Mason | 🏴 | Bolton, 2006-2021
Previous 5: 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 4 Feb 06, Villa 4-0 Middlesbrough (a)
Cards: None
CARDS
Villa
None
Fulham
None
TEAM NEWS
Kevin Phillips, Lee Hendrie (first start in 7) and Ulises de la Cruz (first start in 29) replace Olof Mellberg, Craig Gardner and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.69 |
Oldest Player |
F Kevin Phillips | 🏴 | 32.77 |
Youngest Player |
F Luke Moore | 🏴 | 20.12 |
MANAGER
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
MANAGER
Chris Coleman | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Thomas Sörensen | 🇩🇰 |
LB Aaron Hughes | 🇬🇧 |
CB Liam Ridgewell | 🏴 |
RB Wilfred Bouma | 🇳🇱 |
RB Ulises de la Cruz | 🇪🇨 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 |
M Steven Davis | 🇬🇧 |
M Gavin McCann | 🏴 |
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 | 🔁 |
F Luke Moore | 🏴 | 🔁 |
F Kevin Phillips | 🏴 |
Fulham
GK Mark Crossley | 🏴 |
CB Ian Pearce | 🏴 |
CB Zat Knight | 🏴 |
RB Moritz Volz | 🇩🇪 |
RB Liam Rosenior | 🏴 |
M Steed Malbranque | 🇫🇷 |
M Mark Pembridge | 🏴 |
M Michael Brown | 🏴 |
M Luís Boa Morte | 🇵🇹 |
CF Collins John | 🇳🇱 | 🔁 |
CF Brian McBride | 🇺🇸 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | for M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 | 58’ |
🔁 CF Juan Pablo Ángel | 🇨🇴 | for F Luke Moore | 🏴 | 73’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CF Collins John | 🇳🇱 | (CF Tomasz Radzinski | 🇨🇦 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stuart Taylor | 🏴 |
CB Gary Cahill | 🏴 |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Tony Warner | 🇹🇹 |
CB Alain Goma | 🇫🇷 |
CB Philippe Christanval | 🇫🇷 |
LB Niclas Jensen | 🇩🇰 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Homegrown: 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/16
Homegrown: 8/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/12
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
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
“I’ve been told about the banners. That comes with football now. It can happen to any of us at any time.
“There were 32,000 people in the ground and the vast majority of them, like myself, want to take Villa forward.
“We can’t complain about the fans today. If there are one or two banners out of 32,000 people, then I am big enough to take that on the chin.”
David O’Leary.
*BBC Sport*
Saturday, 25 March 2006
Aston Villa and Fulham remain bogged down in the lower reaches of the Premiership table after playing out a drab and uneventful draw.
Lee Hendrie had Villa’s best chance in the first half, sending a right-foot volley narrowly over the top.
For Fulham, Steed Malbranque volleyed just wide when well-placed in the opening seconds of the second half.
Malbranque saw another shot gathered at the second attempt by Thomas Sorensen, but neither side looked like scoring.
The point will probably please Fulham more than Villa, although they are still seeking their first away league win this season.
The tone of the game was set early on with both sides struggling to create an opening.
It was not until the 22nd minute that either side seriously threatened, Hendrie’s controlled volley flying inches over Mark Crossley’s bar with the keeper seemingly beaten.
Villa had the better of the first half and should have taken the lead just before the half-hour mark during a frenzied goalmouth scramble.
Gavin McCann managed to fire in a low effort despite almost standing on the ball - only to see Zat Knight block on the line.
Gareth Barry then tried his luck as the loose ball came to him, only for Volz to block.
The visitors offered little in the opening period, although Steed Malbranque will be disappointed not to have made more of a half-chance during a rare breakaway, the striker’s shot being comfortably saved by Sorensen.
Within seconds of the restart, Malbranque had another chance, but his agonised expression as he volleyed wide despite having plenty of time to steady himself inside the area told its own story.
At the other end Steven Davis diverted Wilfred Bouma’s cross goalwards at the near post, but Crossley was alert to the danger.
Malbranque’s low volley was gathered by Thomas Sorensen at the second attempt as Fulham began to impose themselves on the game.
Fulham looked stronger towards the end, but in truth their play lacked the passion and guile they displayed when beating Chelsea last weekend.
*Aston Villa boss David O’Leary on fan banners at the ground calling for him to quit:*
“I’ve been told about the banners. That comes with football now. It can happen to any of us at any time.
“There were 32,000 people in the ground and the vast majority of them, like myself, want to take Villa forward.
“We can’t complain about the fans today. If there are one or two banners out of 32,000 people, then I am big enough to take that on the chin.”