Game #5031
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Attendance: 35,578
Lost
Premier League
16th
Wigan Athletic
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟨 🟩 🟥
Villa Park
Villa open the season with a surprise defeat to a Wigan side they had finished seventeen points ahead of in 2008-09.
Aston Villa
0-2
Wigan Athletic
Assist(s) | None
KEY MAN
Curtis Davies watches on as Villa suffer a home defeat to Wigan on the opening day of the season, Saturday, 15 August 2009.
RELATED MATCHES
MATCH TIMELINE
🟢 | 1’ Debut, Habib Bèye, Fabian Delph
🥅 | 31’ Goal, 0-1, (Wigan Athletic), Hugo Rodallega
🟨 | 43’ Booking, Fabian Delph
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-1 Wigan Athletic
🥅 | 56’ Goal, 0-2, (Wigan Athletic), Jason Koumas
🔁 | 61’ Sub off, Fabian Delph, Sub on, Steve Sidwell
🔁 | 68’ Sub off, Habib Bèye, Sub on, Marc Albrighton
🔁 | 77’ Sub off, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Sub on, Nathan Delfouneso
🟨 | 85’ Booking, Ashley Young
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 0-2 Wigan Athletic
ON THIS DAY
Villa succumb to a disappointing opening day defeat as midfielder Fabian Delph, 19, makes his debut after joining from Leeds United for a fee of £8,550,000 earlier this month. As does right back Habib Beye, 32, after joining from Newcastle United in an eye-brow raising £2,610,000 move earlier this month.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Wigan Athletic
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Previous 5 vs. Wigan: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟨
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2009-10 |
Matchday | #1 |
League Game | #1 |
Manager Game | #139 |
Saturday, 15 August 2009
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Mark Clattenburg | 🏴 | Durham, 2000-2017
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-1
FT Score: 🟥 0-2
FT Result: 🟥 Lost
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟨 🟩 🟥
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Mark Clattenburg | 🏴 | Durham, 2000-2017
Previous 5: 🟨 🟩 🟨 🟨 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 20 Apr 08, Villa 5-1 Birmingham (h)
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Peter Kirkup, Mo Matadar
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Martin O'Neill hands debuts to Habib Bèye and Fabian Delph.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.63 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 | 38.27 |
Youngest Player |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 | 19.75 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Roberto Martínez | 🇪🇸 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Nicky Shorey | 🏴 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 |
CB Curtis Davies | 🏴 |
RB Habib Bèye | 🇸🇳 | 🟢 | 🔁 |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 | 🟢 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
W James Milner | 🏴 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 | 🟨 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Emile Heskey | 🏴 |
Wigan Athletic
GK Chris Kirkland | 🏴 |
CB Titus Bramble | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CB Maynor Figueroa | 🇭🇳 | 🟨 |
RB Mario Melchiot | 🇳🇱 |
M Paul Scharner | 🇦🇹 |
M Hendry Thomas | 🇭🇳 |
M Jason Koumas | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
M Michael Brown | 🏴 |
M Jordi Gómez | 🇪🇸 |
W Charles N’Zogbia | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
CF Hugo Rodallega | 🇨🇴 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 | for M Fabian Delph | 🏴 | 61’ |
🔁 W Marc Albrighton | 🏴 | for RB Habib Bèye | 🇸🇳 | 68’ |
🔁 F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 | for F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 77’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Jason Koumas | 🏴 | (Won-hee Cho | 🇰🇷 |)
🔁 | W Charles N’Zogbia | 🇫🇷 | (W Scott Sinclair | 🏴)
🔁 | CF Hugo Rodallega | 🇨🇴 | (CF Jason Scotland | 🇹🇹 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
CB Ciaran Clark | 🇮🇪 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Mike Pollitt | 🏴 |
LB Erik Edman | 🇸🇪 |
RB Emmerson Boyce | 🇧🇧 |
CF Marlon King | 🇯🇲 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Homegrown: 1/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/18
Homegrown: 5/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 4/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/18
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
RB Habib Bèye | 🇸🇳 |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 |
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Possession F | 46%
Possession A | 54%
Shots F | 11
Shots A | 13
Shots on Target F | 5
Shots on Target A | 7
Corners F | 4
Corners A | 6
Fouls F | 15
Fouls A | 14
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"A wee bit of a surprise." Martin O'Neill.
*BBC Sport*
Saturday, 15 August 2009
*Hugo Rodallega scored a stunning goal to help Wigan to victory over Aston Villa in manager Roberto Martinez’s first game in charge of the Latics.*
Charles N’Zogbia’s shot had hit the post for Wigan before Rodallega angled in a spectacular half-volley from the corner of the area.
Wigan’s Jason Koumas slotted in at the far post for their second goal as Villa’s fans booed the home side.
Steve Sidwell headed a rare Villa chance wide but they were well beaten.
It was a thoroughly disappointing afternoon for Villa and their 35,000 supporters as Martinez enjoyed a dream start to life at Wigan.
Both teams had lost key personnel during the summer with Villa losing Gareth Barry to Manchester City, while Antonio Luis Valencia and Lee Cattermole had left Wigan.
The Latics have also seen a new manager installed in Martinez and they appear to have regrouped more quickly than the home side.
Wigan had wrestled the initiative from their hosts and, even before their opener, were the more threatening side.
Villa centre-back Curtis Davies got the benefit of the doubt that he had touched the ball when tackling Rodallega, who would have been clean through on goal but for the challenge.
N’Zogbia thought he had put the visitors ahead when he beat Villa keeper Brad Friedel with a low, angled 22-yard shot only to see his effort come back off the foot of the post.
The Midlands outfit were a side with the lethargy of pre-season still heavy in their legs and they eventually buckled.
Villa left-back Nicky Shorey could only flick a ball down Wigan’s right side to Rodallega and the Colombian striker allowed the ball to bounce before sending a half-volley from the corner of the area dipping past Friedel for the first goal.
Only a goal-line clearance from James Milner after Rodallega’s far-post header kept Wigan from extending their lead before Villa’s restless fans were finally given a reason to hope.
Ashley Young curled a free-kick towards the top corner of the net but keeper Chris Kirkland was equal to the effort as he palmed the strike round the post.
Martinez rose to prominence during his stint at Swansea with the stylish passing football he instilled in his side.
His influence on the Wigan side was clear to see as their passing and movement was too much for a poor Villa side, epitomised by the second goal in the 56th minute.
Wigan’s willing runners dragged Villa’s defence out of position and allowed N’Zogbia to find Koumas, who slotted through the legs of Friedel to end a swift counter-attack.
Sidwell summed up Villa’s frustration when he put a free header wide as the home side got their season off to an inauspicious start.
Wigan’s over-confidence nearly cost them when a poor back-pass nearly allowed Young to score late on but Titus Bramble flung himself to deflect the strike over.
*Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill:*
“After the initial 15 minutes, we were second best all afternoon.
“You can analyse everything but at the end of it all I thought we looked tired, which was a wee bit of a surprise considering we’ve had a pretty decent pre-season.
“We’ve been beaten when we should have been ready to go, and it was very disappointing indeed.”