Report

Let’s try toconcentrate on the positives.

What a tremendous venue for a cup final! Highbury stadium, home of Fleetwood Town FC will be the envy of most visiting clubs when they take up their position as the Football League’s newest club. And everyone involved is hosting the Richardson Cup Final could not have done more to make us feel welcome and to create an unforgettable experience for the visiting participants.

As for the match – Wren Rovers were terrific! They gave Villa a two goal start inside the first fifteen minutes, and then had a man sent off just a couple of minutes later.  Neutrals around asserted that that was the end of the game as a contest, however those of us who have seen Villa try to play against ten men in the past knew better. The Blackpool side rolled their sleeves up and proceeded to pass their opponents off the park, and Villa were unable to retain any possession in mid field, or do very much with it when they did have it, or pick up runners when they didn’t.

Blackpool played for seventy-odd minutes with ten men, scored a couple of excellent goals, and were handed a couple of others on a plate. When the score was levelled at 2 – 2, Villa scored an excellent goal via a Greg Johnstone header from a free kick to retake the lead, which should have broken the Wren spirit and given the Euxton side the impetus to go on to secure the victory.  But alas, not so, and although it sounds like a much over used cliché, it was impossible to tell who had the ten men.

Villa conceded five goals against ten men. Five!