*Aston Villa’s winless run extended to 16 games as the Premier League’s bottom club were held to a draw by League Two Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup third round.*

Remi Garde looks certain to preside over Villa’s relegation to the Championship - and both the manager and his players felt the fury of many travelling supporters at the final whistle, with captain Micah Richards involved in heated exchanges with fans at the end.

Richards gave Villa the lead after 22 minutes with a low right-foot shot but Wycombe, sixth in League Two and FA Cup semi-finalists in 2001, were level five minutes after half-time through Joe Jacobson’s penalty.

Villa were furious referee Michael Oliver punished Ashley Westwood for his clash with Matt Bloomfield - and their frustration increased when Rudy Gestede’s deflected late shot bounced off the bar.

Garde avoided the humiliation of defeat by League Two opposition - but he is still without a win 10 games after succeeding Tim Sherwood.

There will be an element of relief but also frustration that a decent first-half display did not bring more reward than Richards’ goal.

It gave Wycombe hope and they cashed in with a contentious penalty from Jacobson - although the flailing arm of Westwood was asking for trouble.

Villa’s failure to win simply confirms the deeper malaise at Villa Park, and the fact Garde has inherited a desperately poor squad that does not look like it has what it takes to mount the sort of miracle recovery they will need to stay in the Premier League.

Garde must now try to work the markets in January to put together an unlikely escape plan, but the fact not too many would have regarded a Wycombe win as a huge shock tells you just how dismal this Villa squad is.

*Villa fans’ mixed emotions*

The 2,500 Villa fans who made the short journey down the M40 seem resigned to relegation this season as they are cut off at the bottom of the Premier League - but they retain some dark humour.

There was anger among their number as they sang “We want our Villa back” moments into the game, understandable with owner Randy Lerner having failed to sell the club and presided over a decline that looks certain to end in the Championship.

Chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” came when Garde put Jordan Veretout on for Carles Gil after 71 minutes.

And there was hostility at the final whistle when fans sang “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” in the direction of Villa’s players as they trooped off.

There was also the sight of captain and goalscorer Richards in heated debate with disappointed fans at the final whistle. Villa is a club in freefall.

But there was humour, too, to sustain Villa’s followers.

When a group of flag-bearing children walked behind the goal where Villa’s supporters were gathered, they were greeted by chants of “Sign them up, sign them up” before breaking into an chorus of “We’re down and we know we are”.

Richards lifted the spirits with a first-half strike and, amid the celebrations, they sang “We’ve scored a goal” before taunting Wycombe fans for supporting a team actually losing to Villa.

In their defence, Villa’s fans gave tremendous support to a team that is so clearly short of any serious quality, although a few expressed their hostility at the failure to beat lowly Wycombe when the final whistle sounded.

It appears they have decided it is better to laugh than cry at their plight.
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Daily Mail Online
Saturday, 9 January 2016

Micah Richards was separated from a confrontation with furious fans by stewards during Aston Villa’s draw to League Two Wycombe Wanderers as the captain told them: ‘We are giving our best.’

Richards scored the opening goal at Adams Park but went off through a foot injury in the 83rd minute and shortly after took exception to a group of heckling Villa supporters behind the dugout.

It is believed they were accusing the Villa team of not trying and Richards insisted the players were giving their all. He went into the crowd to remonstrate and had to be pulled back when words began to get heated.

Manager Remi Garde said: ‘As professional we have to face responsibilities, not only Micah. But it was brave he did that.

‘The situation where Aston Villa is, is very difficult. Some silly things happen and everyone needs to keep calm, face responsibility, and look in the mirror to get out of this situation.’

After the final whistle, Richards gave his jersey to a fan and stayed to applaud the 2,500 travelling crowd, even as the chant rang out: ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt.’

Villa fans finally turned on their team after watching Wycombe, who were beaten at home by Morecambe in their last game, come back to earn a draw to make it 16 games without a win in all competitions.

The players were abused as they trudged down the tunnel, with Rudy Gestede biting back, and again as they went onto the team bus together with a number of fans waiting to vent their anger.

There was a police guard in place to stop any physical altercations. Garde was verbally abused too, told to ‘f*** off’ by a couple of particularly irate supporters.

For the first time in his tenure he was booed during the game when fan-favourite Carles Gil was substituted. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing,’ the Villa supporters chanted. He is still waiting for his first win.