There’s not much to say about this game beyond it earning three points for Villa after a typical scrappy Bruce home performance.
Despite what the league table said, you couldn’t expect Bolton to come to Villa Park and just lay down. A major clue was the signing of midfielder Karl Henry on a free this week.
They closed Villa down and hunted in packs. The likes of Keinan Davis struggled to make an impression.
Despite Bolton’s effort, Villa were lacking in ideas and movement though.
I already provided a few thoughts on the players in the Ultimate Aston Villa Player Ratings post.
Still, a successful conclusion to an important month, so here’s five reasons to be cheerful…
1. Fantastic Four
That’s four wins on the bounce. If it was the Fantastic Four, it would be The Thing, as it was pretty ugly stuff compared to other wins this month.
This gif is better than any portrayal of The Thing in all of the Fantastic Four movies combined. pic.twitter.com/wHdMCqQeWb
— Ant (@IAmAntoon) September 30, 2017
2. Off the Mark
I said it on the podcast and wrote it on here, I expected Kodjia to score today.
Did I bet on it? Should of, but I forgot. If I did, it would have helped me forget the incident seconds before his penalty goal.
I’m still mad at him for not passing to Adomah minutes earlier, had he not won a penalty and the game had ended without three points, the knives would have been out.
He was obviously desperate for a goal, but team first, Mr Kodjia.
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but hopefully, he’ll learn from it and it maybe more important than the goal in the long run.
3. Deeeeefence
Villa have only conceded one goal in six league games in the month of September.
Hats off to the team, especially – Johnstone, Elmo, Terry, Chester and Taylor.
Top effort and strong foundations to build on.
4. September’s Finest
Who’s the top team in the Championship during the month of September?
5. Samba Time
Chris Samba literally played only a minute or so, but saved Villa potentially conceding a late equaliser by simply being on the pitch and being massive.
Did he know much about the ball hitting him in the head after a Bolton snap shot from a penalty box scramble that resulted from a corner? Maybe not. He probably never felt a thing either.
Sometimes a player contributes to the team effort with just one moment.
We’ll need such efforts like this, if we’re going to get promoted, or better still, win the league.
Enjoy the international break.
UTV
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