What Becks did next...

Swansea City are this evening propping up the Premier League table after a woeful showing against new boys Huddersfield town who until today's result were also in the relegation zone.
Swansea have only managed just one win in eleven league games having only scored nine goals and shipping 23 in that time, leading for some to call for manager David Beckham's head already after just four months in charge at the Liberty stadium.

The first half was fairly even with Swansea perhaps edging the possession and chances statistics, However instead of pressing on the Swans capitulated after the break, Terriers substitute David Edwards heading home David Wotherspoon's corner to put the away side into the lead just two minutes after the restart.
A swift counter attack put Huddersfield 2-0 up in the 63rd minute when Wotherspoon collected the ball following a clearance from a Swansea corner, he raced away down the right flank before pulling the ball back to Marc Antoine Fortune who rifled in to double the advantage.
Goal number three was not long in coming as Adam Clayton took advantage of some indecisive defending from Nigerian full back Taye Taiwo before beating Vorm at his near post.

Last time out Swansea battled back from 3-0 down against West Brom, there was to be no repeat of that comeback today however as the Terriers capped a day to remember for their supporters with a fourth, Fortune scoring a very similar effort to his first goal in the 83rd minute to cap a miserable afternoon for Swansea who desperately need to change something before it is too late.



Swansea XI:

A fantastic display by Swansea has seen them bounce back from their shock 4-0 hammering at the hands of Huddersfield by thumping Southampton 5-2 in a electric game in South Wales this afternoon.
Swans manager David Beckham made several changes to the side that were humiliated by the Terriers last week including shuffling the formation to a attacking 4-5-1 set up lead by Any Carroll who had found himself relegated to the bench in recent weeks after some lack luster performances by the former England forward.
Out of form Goalkeeper Michael Vorm also found himself dropped in favor of Spanish keeper Raul Fernandez who makes his first start in English football.

The new shape was immediately evident as Swansea streamed forward with traditional wingers in Will Hughes and Nathan Dyer and wing-backs in Neil Taylor and Carl Jenkinson in support and over lapping, Swansea penned Southampton into their own half with the Saints helpless to escape through fear of a Swansea counter such was the numbers Carroll and co committed forward. the deadlock was broken in the 18th minute when Will Hughes chipped a delightful ball over the top of the Southampton back four for Ki Sung Yeung to volley in with perfect technique from just inside the Saints area.

Goal number two was courtesy of stand in captain Michael Dawson who was filling in for the suspended Chico Flores, Dawson acrobatically nodded the ball past Gazzaniga with a diving header from within the six yard area with 31 minutes on the clock.
Two minutes later it was the turn of Andy Carroll to get in on the scoring, the striker lashing home an furious volley from six yards after Neil Taylor bombed forward and chipped the ball to the big man who will be hoping to build on this strike as he looks to re-discover his best form.

Southampton pulled a goal back through Johan Anderson mid way through the first half but Swansea never looked too troubled, Miroslav Klose restored their three goal cushion with his first goal in English football in the 79th minute, the big German tucking away a typical poachers finish when Gazzaniga could only parry Will Hughes's initial shot for Klose to dispatch from a tight angle.
Anthony Pilkington again reduced the deficit to two goals before Will Hughes crowned a man of the match performance with a goal from some distance to give Swansea not only an impressive score line and lift the Swans from the foot of the table at Sunderland's expense but also a vital self belief as they look to kick start their season.


Next up Beckham's men have the matter of Chelsea to contend with in the Capital One cup quarter final with Wembley potentially just three games away now.


Swansea XI:

Here's a better look at the new formation I tried out against Southampton as my diagram doens't really show it very well.

Obviously it's very attacking but it's also quite stable at the back with Spearing, Taylor and Jenkinson able to drop into a back five. The real test will be how it stands up to Chelsea next.

Chelsea put an end to Swansea's cup dreams last night in a hard fought battle at the Liberty stadium.
Despite having to play with ten men for over an hour Swansea refused to allow Rafa Benitez's side to dominate the game, carving out numerous chances of their own, albeit coming up short in the end.

The first chance of not came after three minutes when Will Hughes's 25 yard drive was kept out by an acrobatic save from Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal as the Swans started brightly. things however began took a turn for the worse for the Welsh club when let back Neil Taylor saw red when he was adjudged to have purposefully caught Dutch winger Luciano Narsingh with his elbow despite there not looking as if much contact was made in the subsequent replays.
With his side down to ten men, Swans manager David Beckham withdrew Nathan Dyer in favor of Nigerian Taye Taiwo and opted to play Will Hughes as a central link between midfield and Andy Carroll up front.

Despite being a man down, Swansea had the ball in the net just minutes after Taylor's dismissal when Hughes launched a floating free kick into the box from just inside the Chelsea half which Andy Carroll headed past Cech, unfortunately for the Swans, the linesman had his flag up in a tight but ultimately correct decision.
Chelsea eventually took the lead in the 42nd minute when Michah Richards powered down the right flank before opting to cut the ball back to Lars Bender who was arriving unmarked on the edge of the Swansea penalty area, the German wasn't closed down quickly enough, allowing him to smash a powerful effort into the bottom right hand corner of Raul Fernandez's net and give the Londoners the lead in South Wales.

Chelsea came close to extending their lead mid way through the second half when Ramires found himself free to fire at goal, the Brazilian however mis-cued his shot and hit the side netting.
The remainder of the game passed without much incident, a dogged ten men in white valiantly tried to carve out opportunities to get back into the game and keep their Wembley dream alive, however the methodical Chelsea smothered all the Swans could muster to see them through to the last four where they wait to find out their opponent.

Swansea XI:

Swansea manager David Beckham bemoaned his sides inability to hold on to a lead after seeing three points again slip from through their grasp this afternoon.
Today's game is the fourth time he has seen his side lose or have to settle for a point from winning positions this season after a mistake from goalkeeper Raul Fernandez gifted the Hammers a life line.

In an exceedingly dull game Fernandez was undoubtedly the star as he pulled off several acrobatic saves in order to keep his side in the game, including a truly brilliant reaction stop from Malian forward Madibo Maiga just after half time when Maiga climbed highest to reach Matt Jarvis's corner, his header looked to be headed in but for Athletic Bilbao loanee Fernadez who instinctively stretched an arm out behind his body to claw the ball up over the cross bar to earn a round of applause from both sets of supporters within Upton Park.

Swansea took the lead with fifteen minutes left on the clock when Will Hughes picked out substitute Miroslav Klose who had only been on the field a few minutes, The big German hit a first time effort from within a crowded penalty area which nestled in the corner of Stephen Henderson's net, putting Swansea on course for their first back to back Premier League wins this season.
However they were to be denied six minutes from time, Maiga raced away down the left flank after latching onto a ball over the top by full back Matthew Taylor, the in form Fernandez was out quickly to clear the danger with a punt up field, however his clearance fell straight to Mark Noble who seized his chance by hitting a thirty yard half volley with Fernandez still scrambling to get back into position, the ball fell into the empty net despite the Spaniard's best efforts to catch up with it and gifted West Ham a point which in reflection was probably a fair result over the course of ninety minutes.

Swansea XI:

Still hanging in there but you need a small run to get out of the bottom.

Swansea manager David Beckham's job looks in real peril this afternoon after this latest embarrassment at the hands of an opposition that Swans supporters might have expected a result against.
A brace from Grant Holt either side of a an Elliot Bennett strike saw the Canaries to a fairly comprehensive victory in which their opposition looked thoroughly defeated even before the opening goal, the manner of the defeat sparked chants of 'Beckham out' from the travelling support.

The opening goal game in the 37th minute when Swansea's defence allowed Holt to much space to turn and shoot in the box, the former England forward was never going to miss with the time he was afforded to pick his spot.
Norwich doubled their lead four minutes later when more slack defended allowed the side in Yellow to waltz around the penalty area before Elliot Bennett stroked home after teasing the hapless Swans.

Swansea offered no sign of a comeback and seemed happy that the score line wasn't as humiliating as it could have been, that was until Holt popped up again in injury time, his initial shot came down off the underside of Raul Hernandez's crossbar, Holt's predatory instincts were evident as he followed up to tap home the rebound on the line and complete a miserable game for Swansea who seem to be rapidly losing hope of Premiership survival even before we have reached the half way stage.

Swansea XI:

The pressure on David Beckham appears to have reached critical point now as his side again surrendered a lead to a fellow struggler and now find themselves cut five points adrift of safety.
Many are speculating that this was the former England captain's final chance to turn around Swansea's season, a chance which he appears to have blown.

The Swans took the lead after sixteen minutes when Darron Gibson who returned to the side today following two months out with a foot injury poked home a lose ball within the Clarets penalty area after Burnley failed to clear Will Hughes's corner.
Burnley levelled after 41 minutes, one of Beckham's former England under-21 protégées Keiren Trippier dispatching a wonderful free kick into the top corner of Fernandez's net to even up the score.

The second half produced little in the way of drama on the pitch, but in the stands the voice of dissent can be heard growing ever louder against Beckham who's days at the Liberty stadium appear to be numbered unless something changes quickly.

Swansea XI:

In a special press conference called at the the Liberty stadium this afternoon, Swansea manager David Beckham has announced his resignation from his position at the Welsh club.
The move comes as no real surprise, Beckham has only managed two win from sixteen league games with the Swans who find themselves second bottom in the Premier league, the former England youth coach's decision may just have been jumping before being pushed.
Speaking in the press conference Beckham apologised to the Swansea supporters for his disastrous spell and said he wanted to step down before he further jepordised the clubs survival chances.

Recently sacked Aston Villa manager Stuart McCall is the bookies favourite to succeed Beckham at Swansea, it is however less clear what Beckham will do next, currently their are a clutch of managerial vacancy throughout the top divisions in Europe, including Ajax, Malaga, Real Betis, Udinese and Lens, as well as several English clubs currently looking to fill a position, Championship Aston Villa and League One Bolton among the names which may interest the 38 year old.

I think many saw that coming, just no real constant formw as found, it would be good to see you take over legue one side Bolton, step back it is but maybe a beneficial one!

Yeah, I'm tempted by Bolton, their fourth in League one, Villa are also very alluring, they are 6th in the Championship.
I'm not too sure about a move abroad yet, Ajax, Malaga, Real Betis and Udinese are all top class clubs but as you say I think I need to step back and rebuild by reputation before trying out a top flight club again. RC Lens is a possibility in Ligue two as France seems a realistic career progression with Becks as he is there in real life now.

David Beckham has been announced as the new Aston Villa manager, less than a week after resigning his position at Swansea City following a dreadful spell in South Wales.
In a controversial move Beckham revealed that he had applied for the job at Villa Park whilst he was still in charge at the Liberty stadium and a falling out with Swans chairman Huw Jenkins over the application was in fact the reason for his departure.

Villa currently sit in fifth place in the Championship following their first relegation from the top flight in 25 years last season, Beckham will be expected to take the Villains back to the Premiership and start trying to rebuild the club with the eventual aim of bringing back the long faded memories of Villa's glory days.
Beckham will be aware of the fact that Villa park has not been a happy place for managers in the recent past, Stuart McCall and Paul Lambert were both forced out by the notoriusly impatient supporters, whereas former Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish's appointment in 2011 sparked rioting outside the stadium.

To bad the Swans couldn't find there league form after the dreadfull start of the season. Lets hope you can prove yourself at Aston Villa.

David Beckham took charge of his first game as manager of Aston Villa this afternoon, just six hours after agreeing to join the Midlands outfit.
It was widely expected that assistant manager Ian Culverhouse would take charge of this game with the new man having so little time to meet his squad and prepare, However Beckham insisted on cracking the whip at the Valley this afternoon as he witnessed his side held to a draw by a battling Charlton.

The former England captain could hardly of asked for a better start as Darren Bent put Villa ahead after just four minutes of play, Bent, 29, could hardly miss as he tapped home a Martin Spelman's low cross to the near post, scoring against one of his former employers in the process.
Jan Kermorgant was unlucky not to level the scores before half time when the Frenchman headed Danny Holland's deep cross against the Villa cross bar in the 41st minute.
Charlton were level eight minutes into the second half when Enda Stevens failed to mark the run of Addicks defender Dorian Dervite who was left free to poach a goal in the six yard box from Holland's free kick and give the home side a share of the points.

Whilst not the dream start David Beckham would have been hoping for he has now had a look at his Villa first team and has a result to build upon ahead of their FA cup tie with Leyton Orient at Villa Park next week where Beckham is expected to heavily shuffle his pack in order to establish within his mind what his strongest side may be.


Villa XI:

Welcome esteemed readers to another edition of Heroes and Villains, I'm Albert Von Villa, the authority on all things claret and blue. and with me today we have a man who needs no introductions to any football fans around the world...David Beckham!
Thank you AV, I'm pleased to meet meet you.

Likewise! so David, There were some pretty high profile jobs around Europe open but yet you chose the mighty Villa, tell me, what drew you to Costa del Birmingham instead of tourist traps such as Amsterdam, La Coruña, Lens...or Bolton?
I've always had a lot of respect for the Villa growing and throughout my career, It's a club with a lot of history and tradition, a terrific stadium and training ground at Bodymore heath as well as huge a fan base all around the Midlands and beyond who are crying out for a new era of prosperity afer a barren decade or so

And you truly believe you can the man to instigate? We've had a lot of false prophets round these ere' parts before *ahem-Gregory-ahem-O'Leary-ahem-O'Neill*.
Of course I can't promise any thing but I'm cautiously optimistic, the club has everything required to be a real force again and it will be my job to try and make all that potential bare fruit.

Of course you will know that the absolute minimum requirement is to return to the Premiership at the first time of asking, Else you face the same fate as John Gregory and and David O'Leary, a little trip to Birmingham's infamous balti mile...as part of a balti.
Haha, I wondered why they dropped off the face of the Earth, but seriously, We're currently fifth, a play-off position, just five points behind the automatic spots, it's still very do-able and I'm fully confident that the famous claret and blue shirts will be adorning the Premiership logo on their sleeves again come next August.

It's fair to say you didn't have the best of times with your previous club Swansea, as a patriotic former England captain were you deliberately trying to sabotage the Welsh tyrants who had invaded our fair land?
No, to be honest I don't really know what went wrong at Swansea, I have to take responsibility whatever it was, but I feel I learned a lot there and I can put what I learned to good use here at Villa.

So, you were thrust straight into action upon arriving here, signing your contract in a London hotel before taking charge against Charlton just a few hours later in a rather eventful day for yourself, how did it go in your mind?
Yes, I slept well that night, of course it would have been nice to have come back from the Valley with a win but I think it was a reasonable start and one we can build on.

Your first game here at the temple of football will be an FA cup fixture with lil' iddy' biddy' Leyton Orient, any nerves ahead of walking out in front of an expectant Holte End this Saturday in a game where the opposition has nothing to lose and you have everything? huh?
No I remain confident as ever of getting a result, Orient aren't a bad side but I think we have more than enough quality to see us through to the next round.

Finally David, have you had a chance to meet your players and coaches yet? and are there any plans to go all Alan Sugar and start firing like a machine gun?
No, Everybody will be give a chance to prove themselves to me and I'll review the situation in the summer.

Good to hear, well David we are out of time, thank you for joining me for our little chat today and I wish you the best of luck for your reign here at the mighty Aston Villa.
Thank you for having me.

Great interview (again)

Aston Villa strolled past League One Leyton Orient to advance to the fourth round of the FA cup in a one sided affair at Villa Park this afternoon.
New Villa manager David Beckham opted to rotate his line up in order to get a look at some of his younger and fringe players as he attempts to establish his strongest side after taking over the Villains last Tuesday.

Christian Benteke should have opened the scoring in the 21st minute when he headed Danny Simpsons cross wide from a yard out to provide a candidate for gaff of the season. The big Belgian did however break the deadlock ten minutes later when Marc Albrighton provided the ammunition for Benteke to nod home from a similar position.

It was Albrighton who doubled Villa's lead in the 40th minute when he capped an impressive team move, the 24 year old who only played six times under Paul Lambert and Stuart McCall, was played through the Orient defence by Fabian Delph before slotting the ball under the dive of Lee Butcher to strengthen his case for a regular place in Beckham's team.

With Villa in total control, Beckham used the second half to test out three débutantes from the clubs famous youth academy, 20 year old Irish youth international Derrick Williams, 18 year old winger Jordan Graham and ball winning midfielder Robin Curtis who at just 16 becomes Villa's youngest ever first team player.

Villa XI:

Thanks mate, as I'm from Birmingham originally and used to go to Villa games with my dad I found it quite easy and more fun to write than the Swansea stuff.

Villa Park was treated a unbelievable 45 minute feast of football this afternoon, before being put to sleep by the following 45.
Newly promoted Preston went into the game occupying a comfortable twelfth place and Villa sitting within the play-off places with fifteen games to go.

The visitors got off to a flying start when David Amoo chested down John Lundstram's long ball before dummying goalkeeper Brad Guzan and tapping into an empty net with just two minutes gone.
Villa levelled the score in the 16th minute through Marc Albrighton, the young winger using his considerable pace to get on the end of captain Richard Dunne's deep cross and then lashing the ball into goalkeeper Luke Daniels's net.

Scott Laird had a golden opportunity to put North End back in the lead just after the half hour mark when Scott Laird was denied by a full stretch stop from American Guzan, it was however Villa who forced the issue and were rewarded in the 36th minute when Albrighton again powered through the Preston defence before slotting the ball in at Daniel's near post.
Man of the match Albrighton was again involved with Villa's third goal, the winger dropping his right wing corner on to the head of Ciaran Clarke who nodded the ball in to make it 3-1, a score which most inside Villa Park thought would settle the outcome of the game, However Preston struck back straight from the restart with Iain Hume catching out Guzan with a cleaver shimmy and finishing from a tight angle.

Preston's third goal arrived in highly controversial circumstances when referee Andy Taylor awarded the Lancashire side a penalty for an adjudged foul on David Amoo by Ciaran Clark despite it looking as if Amoo had hold of Clarke's shirt before falling over. Scott Laird stepped up to take the penalty, Guzan managed to get a touch on his effort but couldn't prevent the shot from crossing the line.
After an uneventful second half Villa manager David Beckham reacted angrily to the referees decision claiming the official had cost them a valuable three points. The FA has refused to comment on the incident.

Villa XI:

After witnessing cavalcade off attacking football Tuesday during the visit of Preston, Villa Park was hoping for another gripping show this afternoon as Sheffield Wednesday made their way to the second city.
Unfortunately aside from two first half goals, both fairly unremarkable this game failed to produce anything in the way of excitement on a drizzly January day in North Birmingham.

The first incident of note was Wednesday's 18th minute opening goal, Keiran Lee picking out Spanish winger Albert Crusat who was utterly unmarked on the left hand side of Brad Guzan's penalty area, Crusat lunged into a diving header which Guzan managed to palm but only into his own net to give the Owls the lead.
Villa were level twelve minutes later one of David Beckham's former England under-21 staples Joe Mattock brought down Marc Albrighton in the penalty area, Christian Benteke stepped up to take the resulting spot kick which the Belgian International duly converted.

Wednesday had the best chance of snatching the win when another of Beckham's young lions was brilliantly denied by Guzan, Gary Madine gave his marker the slip before firing low to Guzan's right but the American got down quickly to palm the ball behind for a corner.



Villa XI:

David Beckham is still without his first league win as Aston Villa manager after being held by a resilient Notts Co. side at Meadow Lane this afternoon.
Villa have now drawn all four Championship games under Beckham although they still occupy a play-off position and will be hoping for a win soon to ensure their push for a return to the Premiership doesn't falter.

Villa had the lions share of both possession and chances but struggled to find a way through the Magpies, Graham Dorrans had a good chance after ten minutes or so when his twenty hard effort flew just wide of the post, Marc Albrighton saw an effort cleared off the line from a Charles N'Zogbia corner and Christian Benteke's header was saved by County keeper Bartosz Bialkowski from close range

For all Villa's huffing and puffing it was the beleaguered home side who snatched the lead just after the hour mark had passed, Francois Zoko clipping an inch perfect ball over the top of Villa's high defensive line for Estonia international Ats Purje to divert the ball past Guzan after only having come on four minutes ago.
Frustrated, Villa wasted little time in hitting back, albeit through a glaring error on the part of Bialkowski, The Pole's short pass to defender Damion Stewart was cut out by the powerful Benteke simply shimmied the stranded goalkeeper before tapping into an empty net, Benteke's second goal in as many games.

Next up for Beckham's side is an FA cup tie with Blackburn at Ewood park, Last time these two sides met in a cup competition it finished 6-4 to Villa, will there be such drama this time?

Villa XI:

An 87th minute goal from Rueben Rochina saw Blackburn come from 2-0 down to keep his side alive in the FA cup and set up a replay next week at Villa Park.
Villa got off to a flying start and had their 2-0 lead after just ten minutes but much to David Beckham's frustration they were not able to add a third and kill the game off.

Darren Bent scored the first in the eighth minute when he received Gary Garner's pass 25 yards from goal, the former England striker drove forward before unleashing a powerful shot from the edge of the Blackburn penalty area which beat Paul Robinson low to his left.
Charles N'Zogbia doubled the visitors advantage just two minutes later, Danny Simpson's initial cross from the byline was aimed at Bent but was cut out by Gail Givet, the Frenchman however only got the ball as far as his compatriot N'Zogbia who rifled in the lose ball and made it 2-0.

Far from being defeat Blackburn hit back right away with just two minutes gone before Paul Robinson's long goal kick set Cameron Jerome free, Jerome made no mistake in sliding the ball past the advancing Brad Guzan to blow the game wide open again.
Rovers came close to leveling the game on the half hour mark when Rochina was denied by Guzan who parried the Spaniard's 25 yard drive over the bar, Guzan also denied Morten Gamst Pederson from some distance before diving at the feet of Jerome to prevent him from slotting home the rebound.
Darren Bent had a good chance to reinstate Villa's two goal cushion shortly after half time but fired into the side netting.

Blackburn's equaliser did eventually come, albeit in bizzare fashion, Guzan and Danny Basham showing poor communication as they tried to wind down the clock and ended up conceding the ball the Rochina on the edge of their own penalty area, Rochina could not miss as Guzan and Basham began playing the blame game.

The replay is scheduled for next Wednesday.


Villa XI:

David Beckham finally has his first win as manager of Aston Villa following a good display at home to Middlesbrough this evening.
Beckham, 38, is a busy man today as he fervently tries to make some last minute deals to help bolster his squad for the remainder of the season, with nobody as of yet having signed on the dotted line with former Villa captain Gareth Barry apparently in line to return to the club after finding himself surplus to requirements at Manchester City, however heading out of Villa park is Karim El-Ahmadi who has joined Norwich for £2.1M.

Villa took just 20 seconds to stamp their authority on this game when Christian Benteke was played through on goal by Charles N'Zogbia, Benteke who is enjoying something of a renaissance under Beckham after being mainly a substitute under former manager Stuart McCall, slotted in his third league goal in three games as Luke Steele in the Boro goal despairingly looked on.

The team in claret and blue doubled up on the half hour mark when Darren Bent crowned a quick Villa counter attack, Christan Benteke finding Bent unmarked with his low ball across the six yard box which bent tapped in for his 20th goal of the season.
Bent could have had a second mid way through the second half when he headed straight into Luke Steele's chest from point blank range, however the 2-0 lead always looked decisive and so it proved as Villa move up a place to fifth.




Villa XI:

Aston Villa are through to the fifth round of the FA cup after a fairly routine victory over Blackburn at Villa Park this afternoon.
Villa methodically wore down their opposition with their slow and precise passing game, making Blackburn chase shadows throughout much of the game as well as keeping things tight at the back when they lost control of the ball, limiting Rovers to just three shots on goal, all from distance.

Villa were gifted the chance to take the lead after just six minutes when Jason Lowe slid in on Charles N'Zogbia in the penalty area, the French winger went down in a heap as referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot, Darren Bent looked in confident mood as he spotted the ball before sending Paul Robinson the wrong way to give Villa the lead.
Villa's second came five minutes before half time when Gary Gardner's cross to the far post was met by Christian Benteke, Benteke out jumped Grant Hanley to nod home from point blank range.

The second period offered little drama as the home side looked content merely to stroke the ball around the field and retain possession, clearly taking no chances after allowing a two goal lead to slip at Ewood Park last week. This time however Villa held out and with little difficulty as they booked a last sixteen tie with Bolton Wanderers to be played at Villa Park in ten days time.

Villa XI:

David Beckham was quick to praise his side after they extended their unbeaten run to ten games by coming from a goal down to save a point in the Welsh capital this evening.
Beckham has overseen nine of those games, his record currently stands at three wins and six draws in all competitions, Villa currently find themselves fifth in the Championship, the opposition meanwhile could have gone top today had they held on to the three points, they currently sit second.

It was the higher placed team who took the lead in the sixteenth minute, Craig Conway cutting out Enda Stevens's throw in before setting away Joe Mason down the left flank, Mason cut inside before powering a shot past Brad Guzan at his near post.
Villa responded well to going behind and quickly moved to quell the Bluebirds momentum with their rhythmic short passing as they established control of the game, Darren Bent went close to levelling the scores five minutes after the goal when David Marshall was forced to throw himself down to his left in order to deny Bent his 22nd goal of the season

Bent was denied again by the Scottish keeper later in the first half when Christian Benteke's ball in to the former England striker was prodded towards goal, Marshall however pulled off an instinctive save to deny Bent from close range and send his side in at half time with the lead.
The second period started much as the second had finished, with Villa relentlessly pumping crosses into the Cardiff box, something had to give sooner or later and in the 65th minute it finally did, Benteke picking up the ball midway inside the opposition half before powering forward at full pelt and thundering a shot past Marshall which could well have broken the goalkeepers arm had he got a hand to it. The 23 year old Belgian international has now scored in three consecutive games.

Cardiff now visably deflated switched to a defensive approach as Villa drove forward in search of a winner which ultimately wouldn't come but both sides can take something from the game as the promotion picture stays as it was before kick off.

Villa XI:

Aston Villa are through to the quarter finals of the FA Cup with a confident victory over Bolton at Villa Park this afternoon.
Just two years ago this was a mid-table Premiership clash, now it is Championship Vs League One , however both teams could have gone some way towards making up for their respective miserable couple of years by booking a trip to Wembley this season, something Villa now have the chance to do should they be able to find a way past either Sheffield Wednesday of Chelsea.

Christian Benteke put Villa ahead after eleven minutes when 18 year old Jordan Graham teed up the big Belgian who powered his shot past Bogdan, Benteke has now scored in four consecutive games.
David N'Gog had a wonderful chance to pull the Trotters level just four minutes later when he rattled Brad Guzan's post, however it would be Villa who chalked up the game's second goal, young winger Jordan Graham, already with an assist to his name provided it, the 18 year old England under-19 receiving the ball from Danny Simpson on the junction of the touch and half-way line, taking a few steps forward before lifting a high ball into the penalty area which floated over Bogdan and into the net, Confusion reigned as to whether Graham meant it as a shot but with no Villa players anywhere near it as the ball went in perhaps it was a truly wonderful 40 yard strike from a wide position.


Graham was once again involved in Villa's third and final goal when he won the ball from Bolton winger Chris Eagles outside the Bolton box before playing it back to Danny Simpson who crossed for Darren Bent, Bent made no mistake in tucking away his 23rd goal of the season, completing a very good days work for Aston Villa who await the result of a replay between Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea after the Owls held Rafa Benitez's Blues to a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough today.


Villa XI:

Brighton headed home from Birmingham with three points this after Ashley Barnes completed a hat-trick to hand David Beckham his first defeat as Aston Villa manager.
Villa put on a late fight back to pull back within one goal of the Seagulls but it proved too little too late as Danny Wilson's men held out for the win.

Brighton were ahead in the 17th minute when the Villa defence failed to full clear their lines, allowing James McFadden to chip the ball to Barnes at the far post who opened the scoring by nodding home from three yards out.
Villa should have been level in the 39th minute when Teofilo Gutierrez, filling in for the injured Christian Benteke, miscued his shot from point plan range and fired straight at Brighton keeper Tomasz Kuszczak who held the ball on his goal line.
Three minutes later Villa were made to pay for that miss when David Lopez's ball found Barnes who got the better of Richard Dunne before lobbing the oncoming Brad Guzan delightfully to make it 2-0.

Kuszczak denied Villa the chance to halve the deficit on the stroke of half time when he was well place to catch Darren Bent's diving header, Guzan was also forced into a fine save down to his left when David Lopez fizzed an effort across the penalty area just after the break, the American stopper was however beaten for a third time by Barnes when the explosive striker swept home Lopez's cross with a wonderful first time shot from the edge of the penalty area which couriered into the left corner of Guzan's net.

Charles N'Zogbia pulled a goal back for Villa in the 73rd minute when his 25 yard drive smashed against the post before hitting Kuszczak in the back and bouncing over the Polish keepers line, the away side were really made to sweat for the final five minutes when Enda Stevens picked out Darren Bent with a wonderful cross from the half way line, Bent nodded home despite claims that the England forward fowled Kuszczak in doing so.
Try as they might Villa just couldn't find a way through for a third goal, giving Brighton a well deserved win.

Villa XI:

Aston Villa bounced back from last weeks defeat by Brighton with a convincing win over struggling Peterborough this afternoon.
Two goals from Darren Bent as well as one from Gary Gardner saw Villa ease to victory over relegation threatened Posh to move the Midlander's up to fourth with ten games to go.

The deadlock was broken in the 40th minute when Gary Gardner fired across the six yard box where Darren Bent diverted the ball Posh keeper Alex Lynch for his 50th league goal in claret and blue since his move from Sunderland in January 2011.
Gardner went from provider to scorer in stoppage time at the end of the first half, young forward Callum Robinson squaring the ball to the England under-21 on the edge of the Boro area, Gardner made flashed a powerful shot past Lynch to give Villa a 2-0 lead going in at the break.

Although Villa had not been under any kind of threat throughout the first hour of the game, Darren Bent ensured that the game was well and truly won when he pounced upon a loose ball in the Pose penalty area following Robinson's intital shot being blocked by Lynch. Tyrone Barnett did pull a goal back for the visitors in the dying embers but it was never to be more than a consolation in a game where the Villains were always in control.

Villa XI:

I have been following your story for a while: I like your game reports, but I think you are missing some "everyday" reports/articles, like: the 6th round FA cup draw, the league table and who the next opponents are and if you are in the playoff race etc. I think if you had 1-2 "articles", not necessarily long, between the game reports, it would make it a lot easier for us to understand how you are doing and a much better read overall.

Aston Villa continued their push for automatic promotion back to the Premier League following 80 minutes of convincing football before going to sleep and allowing Hull back into a game which had looked dead and buried for some time.

It took just 48 seconds for David Beckham's side to take the lead, Nathan Delfouneso's ball into the box looked as if it was easy pickings for the Hull defence, however Jack Hobbs sliced his clearance and inadvertently played a wonderful through ball for in form Darren Bent to run on to, The striker made no mistake in scoring for the fourth game running.
Bent, 30, should have scored again not long after when he and Delfouneso again combined well when 'the Fonz' pulled the ball back for bent after a surging run, Bent, completely unmarked in the middle of the penalty are slid his shot wide of Swiss goalkeeper Eldin Jakopovic's far post with the keeper helpless.

Villa did get their second in the 17th minute, Graham Dorrans working hard to keep the ball in play before crossing to Charles N'Zogbia who was arriving at the far post, the Frenchman slid across the ground to divert the ball past Jakopovic for his first league goal of the season.
The visitors thought they had won the game when the industrious Dorrans turned the ball in for their third following a goal mouth scramble mid way through the second half, However two quick fire goals from Aaron McLean and Nick Proschwitz suddenly made life uncomfortable for Villa, Beckham's men however managed to hold on and claim all three points as they prepare for the visit of Blackburn on Tuesday.


Villa XI: