*Aston Villa and Birmingham City shared the points after they fought out a dour midlands derby deadlock at Villa Park.*

Gerard Houllier had set his sights on victory in his first confrontation with arch-rivals Birmingham since his appointment as Villa boss - and saw his side waste the best of the chances in an encounter that was high on endeavour but desperately lacking in serious quality.

Ciaran Clark almost grabbed a late winner for Villa when his close-range header was only inches wide, and Ashley Young came even closer seconds later when he hit the woodwork with City keeper Ben Foster beaten.

But Blues boss Alex McLeish will feel his side’s defensive discipline and work ethic, with Roger Johnson outstanding, made them worth a point, and it was clear the visitors were happier with the result at the final whistle.

And Birmingham will also state a convincing case that they could have had more rewards, with referee Howard Webb ignoring a clear handball by Villa captain Nigel Reo-Coker in the first half.

Birmingham still nurse a sense of injustice after losing to a late penalty at Villa Park last season, and they clearly felt the fates were against them again here.

Villa boss Houllier gave Clark a midfield role in the absence of Stilyan Petrov, but after a bright opening the game swiftly became a war of attrition so often associated with derbies.

Emile Heskey was only inches away from getting a crucial touch on to Ashley Young’s shot and Reo-Coker almost charged down Foster’s clearance, the rebound dropping narrowly wide.

But Birmingham’s gameplan soon reduced Villa to too many long balls aimed in Heskey’s direction as the early creativity all but disappeared from their play.

And the away side were rightly infuriated nine minutes before the interval when referee Webb, despite looking right at the incident, ignored Reo-Coker’s obvious handling offence inside the Villa penalty area.

Chances were once more at a premium after the break, but Reo-Coker tested Foster with a shot that the Birmingham keeper was able to collect with the minimum of fuss.

McLeish introduced Cameron Jerome for the subdued Alexander Hleb with 19 minutes left, and his impact was almost instant as he outmuscled Richard Dunne - no mean feat - and worked his way into the area, only to hit his cross straight at Brad Friedel with Nikola Zigic unmarked and waiting for a simple finish.

Reo-Coker had been having an eventful afternoon in an uneventful game, and he was eventually successful in earning himself a booking for a flare-up with Craig Gardner, who had been shown a yellow card early on after the pair clashed.

Villa substitute Barry Bannan had been lively, and his 20-yard effort brought a fine diving save from Foster with only nine minutes remaining.

John Carew was eventually introduced for Reo-Coker with nine minutes left, and his header set up a chance for Clark, who could only direct his finish wide under heavy pressure from Foster, sustaining a nose injury for his bravery.

Villa were ending the game the stronger side, and Ashley Young almost made the decisive contribution in the final minute with a rising drive that crashed to safety off the angle of post and bar.

It was the final act of a colourless game - although there was still time for Reo-Coker to re-enter the pitch looking for an argument after the final whistle. As with his earlier efforts, he had little satisfaction.