Game #5347
Aston Villa
0-0-1, 0 PTS
Sunday, 7 August 2016
19th
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟥
GK Pierluigi Gollini | 🇮🇹 | 🟢 |
LB Aly Cissokho | 🇫🇷 |
RB Alan Hutton | 🏴 |
CB Nathan Baker | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CB Tommy Elphick | 🏴 | 🟢 | 🟨 |
M Leandro Bacuna | 🇨🇼 | 🔁 |
M Ashley Westwood | 🏴 |
M Gary Gardner | 🏴 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
F Jordan Ayew | 🇬🇭 |
F Rudy Gestede | 🇧🇯 |
F Ross McCormack | 🏴 | 🟢 | 🔁 |
Roberto Di Matteo | 🇮🇹 | 2016
Substitutes
🔁 M Aaron Tshibola | 🏴 | 🟢 | for M Gary Gardner | 🏴 | 70’ |
🔁 M Jack Grealish | 🏴 | for F Ross McCormack | 🏴 | 77’ |
🔁 W André Green | 🏴 | for M Leandro Bacuna | 🇨🇼 | 86’ |
Unused Substitutes
GK Mark Bunn | 🏴 |
CB Micah Richards | 🏴 |
CB Jores Okore | 🇩🇰 |
LB Jordan Amavi | 🇫🇷 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
🟨 Tommy Elphick (1)
🟨 Gary Gardner (2)
🟨 Nathan Baker (11)
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Matchday Squad
GK Pierluigi Gollini | 🇮🇹 | £4.50m |
GK Mark Bunn | 🏴 | Free |
LB Jordan Amavi | 🇫🇷 | £9.90m |
RB Alan Hutton | 🏴 | £4.05m |
LB Aly Cissokho | 🇫🇷 | £2.25m |
CB Jores Okore | 🇩🇰 | £4.23m |
CB Tommy Elphick | 🏴 | £3.51m |
CB Nathan Baker | 🏴 | Youth |
CB Micah Richards | 🏴 | Free |
M Aaron Tshibola | 🏴 | £5.31m |
M Ashley Westwood | 🏴 | £2.25m |
M Leandro Bacuna | 🇨🇼 | £1.26m |
M Gary Gardner | 🏴 | Youth |
M Jack Grealish | 🏴 | Youth |
W André Green | 🏴 | Youth |
F Ross McCormack | 🏴 | £12.87m |
F Jordan Ayew | 🇬🇭 | £10.80m |
CF Rudy Gestede | 🇧🇯 | £7.65m |
Unavailable
Out on Loan | 4 |
LB Riccardo Calder | 🏴 | Doncaster
W Carles Gil | 🇪🇸 | Deportivo
CB Easah Suliman | 🏴 | Cheltenham
RB Niall Mason | 🏴 | Doncaster
Team News
With not all of the stench of relegation tainted players removed from the Villa squad, new boss Roberto Di Matteo retains Leandro Bacuna, Jordan Ayew, Rudy Gestede, Aly Cissokho and Ashley Westwood.
New signings Ross McCormack, Tommy Elphick and Pierluigi Gollini make their debuts.
Nathan Baker comes in after his season long, and relegation avoiding, loan away from the club.
Aaron Tshibola, Roberto Di Matteo’s left field and expensive signing from Reading, makes his squad debut.
Team Stats
Starting XI Average Age: | 26.77 |
Oldest Player: RB Alan Hutton | 🏴 | 31.71 |
Youngest Player: GK Pierluigi Gollini | 🇮🇹 | 21.41 |
Debut Appearances
🟢 GK Pierluigi Gollini | 🇮🇹 | #889 | £4,500,000 signing from Hellas Verona
🟢 CB Tommy Elphick | 🏴 | #890 | £3,510,000 signing from Bournemouth
🟢 M Aaron Tshibola | 🏴 | #891 | £5,310,000 signing from Reading
🟢 F Ross McCormack | 🏴 | #892 | £12,870,000 signing from Fulham
Final Appearances
None
Scorer(s) | None
Assist(s) | None
Match Timeline
🟢 | 1’ Debut, Pierluigi Gollini, Tommy Elphick, Ross McCormack
🟨 | 41’ Booking, Tommy Elphick
🟨 | 45’ Booking, Gary Gardner
🕒 | HT Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Aston Villa
🟨 | 66’ Booking, Nathan Baker
🔁 | 70’ Sub off, Gary Gardner, Sub on, Aaron Tshibola 🟢
🔁 | 70’ Sub off, Ross McCormack, Sub on, Jack Grealish
🥅 | 85’ Goal, 0-1, the (Sheffield Wednesday), Fernando Forestieri
🔁 | 86’ Sub off, Leandro Bacuna, Sub on, André Green
🕒 | FT Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Aston Villa
Season 2016-17
Matchday | #1 |
League Game | #1 |
Manager Game | #1 |
Sunday, 7 August 2016
Match Record
Game Record
Manager: Roberto Di Matteo | 🇮🇹 | Schaffhausen, Switzerland, 2016
Referee: Steve Martin | 🏴 | Staffordshire, 2016-2018
Kick off: 4.30pm
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Score: 🟥 0-1
FT Result: 🟥 Lost
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟥
Officials
Referee: Steve Martin | 🏴 | Staffordshire, 2016-2018
Previous 5 vs. Wednesday: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥
Head to Head
Total 🕒 134 | 🟩 W65 (49% ) | 🟨 D17 | 🇺(61% ) | 🟥 L52 (39% ) | ⚽ 252 | 🥅 206 | GD 46
Match Stats
Possession F | 48%
Possession A | 52%
Shots F | 12
Shots A | 17
Shots on Target F | 2
Shots on Target A | 6
Corners F | 9
Corners A | 12
Fouls F | 9
Fouls A | 14
Roberto Di Matteo | 🇮🇹 | 2016
🕒 1 | 🟩 | 0 🟨 | 0 🟥 1 | 0.00
Villa Career Form:
Relegation
Championship
Sheffield Wednesday
1-0-0, 2 PTS
Hillsborough
Attendance: 30,060
GK Kieren Westwood | 🇮🇪 |
LB Daniel Pudil | 🇨🇿 |
CB Tom Lees | 🏴 | 🟨 |
RB Jack Hunt | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Kieran Lee | 🏴 |
M Almen Abdi |🇨🇭|
M Sam Hutchinson | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Ross Wallace | 🏴 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
M Barry Bannan (ex) | 🏴 |
CF Steven Fletcher | 🏴 | 🔁 |
F Fernando Forestieri | 🇮🇹 | ⚽ |
Carlos Carvalhal | 🇵🇹 |
Substitutes
🔁 | CF Gary Hooper | 🏴 | for CF Steven Fletcher | 🏴 | 27’ |
🔁 | CF Atdhe Nuhiu | 🇽🇰 | for M Ross Wallace | 🏴 | 67’ |
🔁 | RB Liam Palmer | 🏴 | for RB Jack Hunt | 🏴 | 84’ |
Unused Substitutes
GK Joe Wildsmith | 🏴 |
M José Semedo | 🇵🇹 |
M Jérémy Hélan | 🇫🇷 |
CF Lucas João | 🇵🇹 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
🟨 Tom Lees
🟨 Sam Hutchinson
🟨 Ross Wallace
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Opposition Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆
Last Trophy: 1990–91
Opposition Matchday Squad
GK Joe Wildsmith | 🏴 | Youth |
GK Kieren Westwood | 🇮🇪 | Free |
RB Liam Palmer | 🏴 | Youth |
LB Daniel Pudil | 🇨🇿 | Free |
RB Jack Hunt | 🏴 | Free |
CB Tom Lees | 🏴 | Free |
M Almen Abdi |🇨🇭| £3.12m |
M Jérémy Hélan | 🇫🇷 | £0.35m |
M Kieran Lee | 🏴 | Free |
M Ross Wallace | 🏴 | Free |
M Barry Bannan (ex) | 🏴 | Free |
M José Semedo | 🇵🇹 | Free |
M Sam Hutchinson | 🏴 | Loan |
F Fernando Forestieri | 🇮🇹 | £3.57m |
CF Gary Hooper | 🏴 | £3.38m |
CF Lucas João | 🇵🇹 | £2.41m |
CF Steven Fletcher | 🏴 | Free |
CF Atdhe Nuhiu | 🇽🇰 | Free |
Opposition Unavailable
Not Recorded
Starting XI
Match Media
On This Day
Roberto Di Matteo’s leads Villa for the first time.
This is Villa’s first game in the second tier of English football for 29 years.
Goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, 21, drops a clanger on his Villa debut to gift Wednesday the win after joining from Hellas Verona for a fee of £4,500,000 in July 2016 to become the 889th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.
Centre Tommy Elphick makes his Villa debut aged 28 after joining from AFC Bournemouth for a fee of £3,510,000 in July 2016 to become the 890th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.
Midfielder Aaron Tshibola makes his Villa debut aged 21 as a 70’ substitute after his inexplicable signing from Reading for a fee of £5,310,000 in July 2016 to become the 891st player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football. Tshibola's arrival had strong echoes of that of Michael Boulding in 2002 where a player of clearly insufficient quality was brought into the club, unlike Boulding however, Tshibola cost big money. The idiocy of the previous regime was clearly not completely over.
Forward Ross McCormack makes his Villa debut aged 29 after joining from Fulham for a fee of £12,870,000 earlier this month to become the 892nd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.
Alan Hutton makes his 100th appearance in a Villa shirt (93 Starts) to make it W18 D25 L57, 1 Goal, 4 Assists, 25 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.
Leandro Bacuna makes his 100th appearance in a Villa shirt (78 Starts) to make it W27 D20 L53, 6 Goals, 6 Assists and 17 Bookings so far in his Villa career.
Ashley Westwood loses for the 75th time in a Villa shirt on his 140th appearance (134 Starts) to make it W37 D28 L75, 5 Goals, 12 Assists and 24 Bookings so far in his Villa career.
Former Villa midfielder Barry Bannan lines up for Wednesday.
What they Said
*Villa boss Roberto di Matteo*
”With 10 minutes to go, you’re away from home against a good side, you’d like to see the game out. If you can’t win it, don’t lose it.
“Unfortunately it was an error from us that gave them the goal, but I thought that in the second half we were a very good team and had some excellent opportunities to score.
“It’s very harsh for us to take because I’d like the opposition to do something special to score, rather than give them a goal.
“We have to learn from this situation - we’ve only been together for five weeks and you can see they’ve been together for a much longer time.”
*Aston Villa’s first game in the second tier since 1988 ended in defeat as Fernando Forestieri’s late goal gave Sheffield Wednesday victory in their Championship opener at Hillsborough.*
Forestieri pounced on a poor clearance by Villa goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini to slot in an 85th-minute winner.
Roberto di Matteo’s Villa improved as the game progressed after a slow start.
They looked on course for a point until Forestieri’s intervention for last season’s beaten play-off finalists.
Gollini had twice denied the Italian forward during the second period but was powerless to rectify his kicking error as Forestieri raced clear before finishing coolly into the corner of the net.
Jordan Ayew and Rudy Gestede both had headers saved and Ashley Westwood also drilled two long-range shots just wide as Villa, aiming to return to the Premier League at the first attempt under new boss Di Matteo, made a creditable but ultimately pointless start to life in the Championship.
Chances were scarce during a cagey first period, which was interrupted for five minutes while Owls debutant Steven Fletcher and Villa captain Tommy Elphick received treatment following a nasty clash of heads.
Scotland striker Fletcher required 10 stitches in a head wound and was unable to continue.
Villa’s new £12m front man Ross McCormack was denied a debut goal by Tom Lees’ last-ditch tackle shortly before his withdrawal after 77 minutes.
*Aston Villa boss Roberto di Matteo told BBC WM:*
”With 10 minutes to go, you’re away from home against a good side, you’d like to see the game out. If you can’t win it, don’t lose it.
“Unfortunately it was an error from us that gave them the goal, but I thought that in the second half we were a very good team and had some excellent opportunities to score.
“It’s very harsh for us to take because I’d like the opposition to do something special to score, rather than give them a goal.
“We have to learn from this situation - we’ve only been together for five weeks and you can see they’ve been together for a much longer time.”