VILLA KICK OFF CAMPAIGN WITH BOLTON DRAW

By Ryan Ghee
August 13 2005

Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers produced four goals in the first nine minutes of the match as the 05/06 campaign got off to a hectic start.

Aston Villa got their season off to a flying start as Kevin Phillips scored just 4 minutes into his competetive debut. Fellow debutant Aaron Hughes provided the cross and Phillips calmly nodded in to give Villa the start they were looking for.
Four minutes later however, Villa found themselves behind as Davies hooked the ball home from close range on 6 minutes, before Ivan Campo headed Bolton into the lead after just two minutes later..
The frantic opening continued as Aston Villa clawed themselves back onto level terms a matter of seconds later. Phillips cut the ball back for youngster Steven Davis who took full advantage of his chance as he rifled the ball into the Bolton net.
The game inevitably quietened down after the the goal-glut in the opening minutes and the next telling chance didn't come until the 23rd minute when Aaron Hughes bravely blocked Gary Speed's dangerous cross.
Three minutes later Aston Villa had a penalty appeal turned down as Mike Riley waved away Samuel's calls for a penalty.
Two minutes before the interval Nobby Solano came close to giving Villa the lead again but his cross-cum-shot found its way past Jaaskelainen's upright.
The start of the second half was a lot calmer than the first but both sides managed to create chances within minutes of the restart. Juan Pablo Angel found himself one-on-one with the Bolton keeper only to be halted by the linesman's flag and Diouf dragged his shot wide as he looked to deceive Thomas Sorensen.
Kevin Davies had two great chances to grab his second goal of the game but he fired straight at Sorensen on the hour-mark, and spurned a headed opportunity 12 minutes later.
Both sides went in search of a winner in the closing stages as Phillips was denied by Jaaskelainen with 12 minutes left and Bolton's Kevin Nolan saw his effort ruled out for offside a couple of minutes later.
As the final whistle approached, both teams seemed to settle for a point and the opening match of the season ended in a 1-1 draw.