Game #4894
Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Attendance: 37,329
Won
Premier League
5th (+5)
Reading
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟨 🟩
Villa Park
Villa win their first home game under Martin O'Neill as Reading are swatted aside.
Aston Villa
2-1
Reading
Assist(s) | Peter Whittingham | 61’ |
KEY MAN
Juan Pablo Ángel scores from the penalty spot as he sets Villa up for their first win under Martin O'Neill as Reading are beaten in the Premier League at Villa Park, Wednesday, 23 August 2006.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🥅 | 4’ Goal, 0-1, (Reading), Kevin Doyle
🟨 | 9’ Booking, Gavin McCann
🟥 | 33’ Sending off, (Reading), Ibrahima Sonko
⚽ | 34’ Goal, 1-1, Juan Pablo Ángel (pen)
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 1-1 Reading
🟨 | 47’ Booking, Jlloyd Samuel
🔁 | 59’ Sub off, Jlloyd Samuel, Sub on, Peter Whittingham
⚽ | 61’ Goal, 2-1, Gareth Barry, Assist by Peter Whittingham
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 2-1 Reading
ON THIS DAY
Martin O'Neill records his first win as Villa boss to rise to 5th in the early Premier League table.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Reading
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Reading
Previous 5 vs. Reading: 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2006-07 |
Matchday | #2 |
League Game | #2 |
Manager Game | #2 |
Wednesday, 23 August 2006
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Lee Mason | 🏴 | Bolton, 2006-2021
Kick off: 7.45pm
HT Score: 🟨 1-1
FT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟨 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Lee Mason | 🏴 | Bolton, 2006-2021
Previous 5: 🟩 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 25 Mar 06, Villa 0-0 Fulham (h)
Cards: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟨
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Martin O'Neill named an unchanged line up.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 25.50 |
Oldest Player |
CF Juan Pablo Ángel | 🇨🇴 | 30.85 |
Youngest Player |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 19.87 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Steve Coppell | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Thomas Sörensen | 🇩🇰 |
LB Aaron Hughes | 🇬🇧 |
CB Olof Mellberg | 🇸🇪 |
CB Liam Ridgewell | 🏴 |
RB Jlloyd Samuel | 🏴 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | ⚽ |
M Steven Davis | 🇬🇧 |
M Gavin McCann | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CF Juan Pablo Ángel | 🇨🇴 | ⚽ |
F Luke Moore | 🏴 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 |
Reading
GK Marcus Hanhemann (yth) | 🇺🇸 |
RB Graeme Murty | 🏴 |
CB Ibrahima Sonko | 🇸🇳 | 🟥 |
CB Ívar Ingimarsson | 🇮🇸 | 🟨 |
LB Nicky Shorey | 🏴 |
M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 |
M James Harper | 🏴 |
M Bobby Convey | 🇺🇸 |🔁 |
W Ky-hyeon Seol | 🇰🇷 |
CF Leroy Lita | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Kevin Doyle | 🇮🇪 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 W Peter Whittingham | 🏴 | for RB Jlloyd Samuel | 🏴 | 59’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Bobby Convey | 🇺🇸 | (M Stephen Hunt | 🇮🇪 |)
🔁 | CF Leroy Lita | 🏴 | (M Brynjar Gunnarsson | 🇮🇸 |)
🔁 | CF Kevin Doyle | 🇮🇪 | (CF Shane Long | 🇮🇪 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stuart Taylor | 🏴 |
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 |
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 |
M Eric Djemba-Djemba | 🇨🇲 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Graham Stack | 🇮🇪 |
M John Oster | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Homegrown: 6/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/16
Homegrown: 8/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/16
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
“We’re delighted with the points but we know we’ve a lot of work to do.
“I’ve got to do a lot of work for the crowd to stay with us as they’ve seen a few false dawns in the past.
“Psychologically the sending off gave us a big, big lift. I’m delighted with the three points.”
Martin O’Neill.
*BBC Sport*
Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Aston Villa’s encouraging start under new manager Martin O’Neill continued with a win over 10-man Reading.
The visitors took an early lead after Seol Ki-Hyeon’s cross was calmly headed in by Kevin Doyle, before Villa equalised with a
debatable penalty.
Ibrahima Sonko was adjudged to have fouled Luke Moore, which resulted in the Senegal defender’s dismissal and Juan Pablo Angel’s converted penalty.
Villa’s winner came after Gareth Barry headed in Peter Whittingham’s cross.
O’Neill had received a rapturous reception when he emerged from the tunnel before the start of the game and his decision to bring on Whittingham only served to further illustrate the former Celtic boss’ apparent Midas touch.
With practically his first kick of the game Whittingham delivered an inviting cross that Barry was able to glance past Marcus Hahnemann.
Not that O’Neill did not experience some anxious moments in his first win as Villa manager as his team struggled to react to Reading’s early goal.
Villa had secured a creditable draw away at Arsenal on Saturday by playing on the counterattack but Doyle’s strike required the home side to adopt a different tactical approach.
Initially Villa appeared without the wit to unpick Reading, but Sonko’s clumsy defending allowed the home side to equalise as well providing them with a crucial man advantage.
To their credit even at a numerical disadvantage Reading were never outclassed by Villa, but they were unable to really stretch the home side’s defence.
In their opening Premiership match on Reading had conceded two early goals, but Steve Coppell’s side did not make the same mistake on Wednesday as they took a fourth-minute lead.
Seol jinked past Moore before flighting the ball to the far post, a cross that was expertly headed in by the unmarked Doyle.
The South Korean midfielder - powerful and strong on the ball - had an impressive game for Reading and early in the second half he tested Sorensen with an accurate shot
Having taken an early lead it was Reading that continued to look the more likely side to score, notably when Steve Sidwell flashed a shot past the post.
Before Angel scored his penalty the Colombian had had the ball in the net, but he was ruled offside.
Moore also had a goal disallowed, again the result of Angel straying into an offside position.
Angel’s decision making proved shrewder from the penalty spot after referee Lee Mason ruled Sonko had denied Moore a goalscoring opportunity and the Colombian sent Hahnemann the wrong way.
Sonko’s sending-off prompted a tactical switch as Coppell withdrew striker Leroy Lita, replacing him with Brynjar Gunnarsson.
Moore continued to trouble the Reading defence and although he was unable to add a third goal the visitors were never able to get enough men forward to threaten the Villa goal.
*Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill:*
“We’re delighted with the points but we know we’ve a lot of work to do.
“I’ve got to do a lot of work for the crowd to stay with us as they’ve seen a few false dawns in the past.
“Psychologically the sending off gave us a big, big lift. I’m delighted with the three points.”