Relegation Derby Sixpointer - Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers

The grand exterior of The Holte End

We'd talked about going to Villa Park with my Villa supporting mate for a while and this weekend we finally got there for the vital game with Wolves. With Wolves in the relegation zone and Villa not too far away this was a critical game. Wolves hadn't won at Villa for a number of years and so history was against them. The first thing that strikes you about Villa Park is the sheer scale of the place. As the picture above shows the outside of the ground looks pretty spectacular.

The view from the top of the Hotle End.

The game kicks off in glorious sun shine and Villa have a lot of ball but fail to trouble Hennessey in the Wolves goal. The away side begin to get in to the game and have a goal disallowed following a tight offside call. Villa fail to take advantage of this let off and Wolves take the lead through a fantastic half volley following a knock down inside the box. This springs Villa in to life for the final ten minutes of the half but they only win a few corners and the goalie remains untroubled. 

The impressive Trinity Road Stand.

Wolves seem very happy to sit on their one nil lead and don't really attack a vulnerable Villa in the second half. The home side still do little to trouble Hennessey as they lack the final killer ball. Their wingers look ineffective, especially Ashley Young who looks like he doesn't want to be there. It is Young who comes closest for Villa when he hits the cross bar from just inside the box. This is as good as it gets for Villa and the Wolves fans are understandably ecstatic at the final whistle.  

The Doug Ellis Stand.

The ground is a shot walk from either Aston or Witton station and trains depart from Birmingham New Street on a regular basis. There are plenty of pubs in the centre near to the station. We went to The Shakespeare which is close to the station and has a good selection of Ales. We bought our tickets from London about a month in advance and managed to get a twenty five pound return. The trains from London Euston takes around an hour and a half. 

Cool brick work in the bar in the ground.