Villa’s Reserves finished top of the Premier Reserve League (South) for the third year in a row, but couldn’t get past Manchester United, the leaders of the PRL North group, to retain the PRL Champions title….although it was very close – Manchester winning on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. 

Overall, though, another very successful season, with only one defeat in the League (the final game of the season at Portsmouth, when there was little to play for – shame, however, not to have kept an unbeaten record).  Here’s how they did it…… 

July

22 – Friendly
        Boldmere St Michaels        0        Aston Villa            7
Goalscorers: James Steven Collins (3), Adam McGurk (3), Kofi Poyser
Team: Parish, Lowry (Roberts 66), Clark (Blythe 80), Roome, Lichaj (Stieber 78), Hofbauer, G. Gardner, Herd (R. Simmonds 81), Bradley, McGurk (Poyser 71), J.S. Collins (Berry 71).
Substitutes not used: Dau, Dyer, Lampkin.
28 – Friendly
        Barwell                0        Aston Villa            3
Goalscorers: James Steven Collins, Daniel Bradley, Adam McGurk (pen.)
Team: Bevan (Dau 46); S. Simmonds (Blythe 65), Roome (Love 60), Halfhuid, Roberts; Bradley (Lampkin 76), G. Gardner (Grocott 58), Stieber (Forrester 46), Hofbauer; J.S. Collins, McGurk.
Substitutes not used: Berry, Poyser, R. Simmonds.

August

4 – Friendly
      Oxford United            2        Aston Villa            0
Team: Parish; Herd, Devine, Lowry, Roberts, Bradley; Hofbauer, G. Gardner (Carruthers 63), Stieber (Lampkin 46), J.S. Collins (Berry 90), McGurk (Poyser 90).
Substitutes not used: Siegrist, Blythe, Dyer, Grocott, R. Simmonds.
25 – Chelsea                0         Aston Villa            4
Goalscorers: Andreas Weimann, Ciaran Clark, [own goal], Marc Albrighton
Team: Marshall; Lichaj, Lowry, Clark, Baker; Albrighton (J.S. Collins 74), Salifou, Osbourne (Hofbauer 68), Weimann (Roome 80), Herd, Bannan.
Substitutes not used: Parish, G. Gardner.

September

  1 – Aston Villa            2        West Ham United        1
Goalscorers: Nathan Delfouneso, Gary Gardner
Team: Marshall; Lichaj, Roome, Lowry, Baker; Herd (G. Gardner 61), Osbourne, Hofbauer (McGurk 72), Albrighton; J.S. Collins, N. Delfouneso.
Substitutes not used: Parish, Bradley, Williams.
14 – Aston Villa            2        Portsmouth            0
Goalscorers: Barry Bannan, Chris Herd
Team: Marshall; Lichaj, Clark, Baker, Lowry; Albrighton (McGurk 89), Herd, Bannan, Hofbauer (J.S. Collins 77); N. Delfouneso, Weimann (Williams 84).
Substitutes not used: Parish, Roome.
29 – Fulham                0        Aston Villa            3
Goalscorers: Barry Bannan (pen.), Andreas Weimann (2)
Team: Marshall; Lichaj (Forrester 90), Roome, Clark, Baker; Albrighton, Hofbauer, Osbourne, Bannan; Weimann (McGurk 90), N. Delfouneso (J.S. Collins 55).
Substitutes not used: Bevan, Roberts.

October

  7 – Aston Villa            1        Wolverhampton Wanderers    1
Goalscorer: Craig Gardner
Team: Parish; L. Young, Lichaj, Clark, Bouma; G. Gardner (McGurk 84), C. Gardner, Osbourne, Hofbauer (Forrester 90); Albrighton, J.S. Collins.
Substitutes not used: Dau, Williams, Roome.
13 – Friendly (behind closed doors at Bodymoor Heath)
        Aston Villa            3        Crewe Alexandra        2
Goalscorers: Craig Gardner, Andreas Weimann (2)
Team: [details not available, but Bouma and L. Young completed 85 and 75 minutes respectively, and C. Gardner, Bannan, Weimann and Osbourne also played]
19 – Stoke City                0        Aston Villa            0
Team: Parish; Lichaj, Roome, Clark, Baker; Albrighton, Osbourne, Bannan, Weimann; N. Delfouneso, J.S. Collins (G. Gardner 74).
Substitutes not used: Dau, Lampkin, Williams, Blythe.

November

  5 – Birmingham City            3        Aston Villa            3
Goalscorers: Andreas Weimann (2), [own goal]
Team: Parish; Roome, Clark, Baker, Williams; Albrighton, Hogg, G. Gardner, Bannan; Weimann, N. Delfouneso (McGurk 69).
Substitutes not used: Dau, Grocott, Stieber, Forrester.
25 – Arsenal                1        Aston Villa            2
Goalscorers: Marc Albrighton, Craig Gardner
Team: Parish; Roome, Clark, Herd; Bannan; Albrighton, C. Gardner, Delph (G. Gardner 76), Downing (McGurk 76); Weimann, N. Delfouneso (Hofbauer 67).
Substitutes not used: Dau, Carruthers, Williams.

February

  1 – Aston Villa            3        Chelsea            1
Goalscorers: Andreas Weimann (2), Ciaran Clark
Team: Bevan; Roome, Clark, Davies, Bouma; Lichaj, Hogg, Hofbauer; J.S. Collins, Weimann, N. Delfouneso (Forrester 71).
Substitutes not used: Carruthers, Roberts, Williams, R. Simmonds.
16 – Wolverhampton Wanderers    0        Aston Villa            3
Goalscorers: James Steven Collins (2), Harry Forrester
Team: Bevan; Lichaj, Clark, Davies, Bouma; Salifou, Hogg, Osbourne, Hofbauer; Weimann (Forrester 31), J.S. Collins.
Substitutes not used: Roome, Carruthers, R. Simmonds, Roberts.

March

10 – Aston Villa            4        Birmingham City        0
Goalscorers: Marc Albrighton, Andreas Weimann, Nathan Delfouneso (2)
Team: Bevan; Lichaj, Davies, Clark, Bouma (O'Halloran); Albrighton, Hogg, Salifou (Hofbauer), Bannan (Forrester); N. Delfouneso, Weimann.
Substitute not used: J.S. Collins.
30 – West Ham United            0        Aston Villa            1
Goalscorer: Andreas Weimann
Team: Marshall (Bevan); O'Halloran, Clark, Davies, Hogg; Albrighton, Osbourne, Salifou, Hofbauer; J.S. Collins, Weimann.
Substitutes not used: Forrester, Carruthers, Deeney.

April

  5 – Aston Villa            1        Arsenal            1
Goalscorer: Nathan Delfouneso
Team: Marshall; Hogg, Clark, O'Halloran, Bouma; Albrighton, Salifou, Reo-Coker, Hofbauer; Weimann, N. Delfouneso.
Substitutes not used: Bevan, Forrester, J.S. Collins, Roome, Bradley.
12 – Aston Villa            2        Fulham                1
Goalscorers: Barry Bannan, Ciaran Clark
Team: Marshall; Roome, Clark, Davies, O'Halloran; Albrighton, Hogg, Bannan, Hofbauer; Weimann (Forrester), J.S. Collins.
Substitutes not used: Bevan, Bradley, Carruthers, Williams.
15 – Aston Villa            2        Stoke City            0
Goalscorer: Dominik Hofbauer
Team: Marshall; Roome, Clark, O'Halloran, Bouma; Hogg, Bradley, Reo-Coker (Albrighton 68), Hofbauer (J.S. Collins 76); Forrester (Weimann 53), Harewood.
Substitute not used: Bevan.
26 – Portsmouth            3        Aston Villa            1
Goalscorer:  Jonathan Hogg
Team: Marshall; Roome, Hogg, Clark (J.S. Collins), O'Halloran; Albrighton, Salifou, Osbourne, Forrester; Weimann, N. Delfouneso.
Substitutes not used: Bevan, Bradley, Dyer.

May

  3 – Premier Reserve League Play-off Final
        Manchester United        3        Aston Villa            3
        (Manchester United win 3-2 on penalties)
Goalscorers: Nathan Delfouneso (2), Ciaran Clark
Team: Marshall; Roome, Baker (J.S. Collins 46), Clark, O’Halloran; Albrighton, Bannan, Hogg, Hofbauer; Weimann, N. Delfouneso.
Substitutes not used: Bevan, Forrester, Osbourne, Bradley.