By Dave Woodhall.
The good thing about having Fulham away for the first match of the season is that it increases the chances of fine weather for that walk to the ground. The bad thing is that once it’s over you don’t have Fulham away to look forward to until next season.
As I said last week, Fulham are a “the likes of” team, as in “We should beat the likes of Fulham.” Anyone who says this forgets that Fulham are an established mid-table team who reached a European final not long ago. They also finished above us last season, we have a poor record at Craven Cottage and their season started weeks ago due to their involvement in the Europa League. Put these factors together and you’ll appreciate that the walk along the Thames is not only the best approach to any top-flight ground in the country, if not the world, it also led to a game that was one of the hardest openers we could have been given.
Once inside the ground (after the usual pre-match reminder about the price of West London beer and wondering why the Villa Park vendors don’t sell venison burgers on ciabatta) Alex McLeish’s team selection met with a mixed response, to put it mildly. Some of the players he appeared to be pinning his hopes on according to his pre-season comments were missing, while the sight of Emile Heskey on the wing will hopefully be a short-term solution to Villa’s lack of width.
Villa got off to a good start and were the better team in the first half before fading after half-time, when Fulham’s greater match fitness began to tell. The withdrawal of Charles N’Zogbia seemed a strange one, but replacement Marc Albrighton soon got into the game and was unlucky when hitting a through ball from Darren Bent into the side netting.
Villa ended the match on top, but seemed reluctant to get forward in the closing stages. In the end a point was both deserved and welcome, although those who have been loudest in reckoning Villa will be battling relegation were also, of course, the quickest to complain that we should be doing better against The Likes Of Fulham. N’Zogbia played well, as did our other new signing Shay Given.
Not only was it a point, it was also our first clean sheet in an away league game since Hull in April 2010. This season might not be pretty, but if money is tight for whatever reason, the basics have got to be sorted out and that means first of all getting the defence right.
Yes, things have changed over the past couple of years, but we haven’t got a divine right to always be at the top. I’d like us to get into the Champions League and be signing £20 million players, but I’d also like to buy a pint in West London and get change from three quid. Then again, I managed that after the match so who knows what the future might bring?
