Goodison Park Here We Come Again

Sunday's FA Cup tie at Everton will have the couch potato's at home wishing for a repeat of the 3-2 thriller at Goodison Park in December.

Well, the game wasn't enthralling. Not for 90 minutes anyway. And I defy anyone to tell me that Villa actually played well.

Martin Laursen certainly did. He was awesome all game - and that is a slight worry now with him injured.

Ashley Young certainly did. More than anything he has done before or since, that ending cemented his reputation as a match-winner of the highest calibre.

"Genius" as Martin O'Neill would whisper to him seconds after what will surely become Villa's Goal of the Season was scored and the final whistle blown.

That ending was right up there with the very best you are ever likely to see.

Maybe not up there with Sheringham and Solskjaer for Manchester United against Bayern Munich in 1999. But very sweet indeed for Villa supporters.

Rarely do you get the utter despair of a late, late goal followed by sheer jubilation seconds later.

Ashley Young will have been giving Joleon Lescott sleepless nights ever since.

Can someone tell me - two months after the event because I am still baffled- why boyhood Villa fan Lescott took to celebrating his last-gasp equaliser right infront of the away fans?

Anyway, it looks like there'll be no Carlos Cuellar or Nigel Reo-Coker, so judging by the fact that Craig Gardner played the second half against Blackburn at right-back you would have to say that he will play at full-back.

Barry's absence will see Steve Sidwell step in and Heskey is clearly fit enough for Villa to continue with their 4-4-2 formation of late.

Away from home only a trip to Old Trafford would worry O'Neill right now. And perhaps not even that. Not after seven straight wins for the first time in their history (five was the previous best in a single season).

As for the scale of O'Neill's rebuilding of Villa?

Statistics don't lie.

Although I was a little surprised to get a text message from Villa Park's media man Steve Tudgay on Monday evening which said simply: "The stats in your match reports are becoming ridiculous to read. How about some writing?!"

This was after I had revealed how the current 13 game unbeaten league record was the best in the top flight since 1910.

Forgive me here, but I think that sort of statistic needs to be shouted aloud.

The current run is not the longest in Villa history. It is in fact the joint- third longest.

iIt is their best since Villa managed 14 games unbeaten in the Second Division in 1959/60 under Joe Mercer whose team recovered from losing to Sunderland in August 1959 by winning nine and drawing five matches before being beaten at Liverpool in November.

The history books then show they recovered from that set-back to put 11 goals past Charlton next match!

Villa's club record of 15 unbeaten matches was set 99 years ago when Villa recovered from a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle to win 12 of their next 15 matches - drawing the other three - until they were beaten by the odd goal in five at Middlesbrough in late March 1910.

John Gregory's Villa of 1998/99 and 1999/00 both registered a dozen unbeaten league games.

Graham Taylor's promotion team of 1987/88 managed 12, as did Ron Saunders' title winning side of 1980/81.

Villa also managed 12 in 1948/49, 12 in 1930/31, 12 in 1912/13, 13 in 1898/99 and 12 in 1896/97.

If anyone out there thinks such figures are "ridiculous" can they let me know?

It'll save me the time and trouble, the pain-staking hours every Sunday afternoon when I'm trawling through the record books.

Or better still, can you mention it to Steve Tudgay?