The 2009–10 Premier League season was Aston Villa's 135th season in English football. It was the club's 99th season in the top-flight and their 22nd consecutive season in the top flight of English football, the Premier League. They were managed by Martin O'Neill – in his fourth season since replacing David O'Leary. The 2009–10 season was Villa's second consecutive spell in European competition for the club, and the first in the newly formatted UEFA Europa League.
| 2009–10 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Randy Lerner | |||
| Manager | Martin O'Neill | |||
| Premier League | 6th | |||
| FA Cup | Semi-finals | |||
| League Cup | Runners-up | |||
| UEFA Europa League | Play-off round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Gabriel Agbonlahor (13) All: John Carew (17) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 42,788 vs Liverpool (29 December 2009), Manchester United (10 February 2010), Birmingham City (25 April 2010) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 22,527 vs Cardiff City (23 September 2009) | |||
|
| ||||
| 54--36--28 | |
This term marked the first for the club without long-term player and former captain Gareth Barry following his £12million move to Manchester City on 2 June 2009. Barry had been at the club since 1997.
The Birmingham Derby made a return to the Premier League after local rivals Birmingham City were promoted to the top tier. Villa won the first of two fixtures 1–0 at St Andrew's on 13 September 2009 with Gabriel Agbonlahor scoring the winning goal. Villa also won the return fixture at Villa Park 1–0 on 25 April 2010, thanks to a James Milner penalty. Villa also played games against newly promoted Wolves from nearby Wolverhampton, resulting in a 1–1 draw at Molineux and a 2–2 draw at Villa Park.
The club progressed to the final of the League Cup during this season, eliminating Cardiff City, Sunderland, Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers along the way. However, Aston Villa were beaten 2–1 by Manchester United in the final at Wembley Stadium on 28 February 2010. Villa's other domestic cup venture also took the club to Wembley in the FA Cup, where they were defeated 3–0 by Chelsea in the semi-final. Aston Villa finished 6th in the Premier League for the 3rd year in a row, with 2 points more than previous season, they also qualified for the Europa League for the 3rd year running.
Kit edit
| Kit Supplier | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| Nike | Acorns* |
*Villa passed up sponsorship for the 2008-09 season and instead displayed the children's hospice charity, Acorns.
Transfers edit
Transferred in edit
| Date | Pos | Player | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 June 2009 | AM | Samir Carruthers | Arsenal | Free transfer |
| 16 July 2009 | LM | Stewart Downing | Middlesbrough | £12,000,000 |
| 4 August 2009 | CM | Fabian Delph | Leeds United | £6,000,000 |
| 7 August 2009 | RB |  Habib Beye |
Newcastle United | £2,500,000 |
| 13 August 2009 | GK | Andy Marshall | Coventry City | Free transfer |
| 27 August 2009 | LB | Stephen Warnock | Blackburn Rovers | £7,000,000 |
| 1 September 2009 | CB |  James Collins |
West Ham United | £5,000,000 |
| 1 September 2009 | CB |  Richard Dunne |
Manchester City | £6,000,000 |
| £38,500,000 |
Record (equal)
Loaned in edit
| Date | Pos | Player | From | Loan End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Transferred out edit
| Date | Pos | Player | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2009 | CM | Gareth Barry | Manchester City | £12,000,000 |
| 1 July 2009 | GK | Stuart Taylor | Manchester City | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2009 | CB |  Martin Laursen |
Retired | — |
| 21 July 2009 | CF | Sam Williams | Yeovil Town | Free transfer |
| 25 July 2009 | CB | Zat Knight | Bolton Wanderers | £4,000,000 |
| 26 January 2010 | CM | Craig Gardner | Birmingham City | £3,000,000 |
| £19,600,000 |
Loaned out edit
| Date | Pos | Player | To | Loan End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 August 2009 | GK | David Bevan |
Ilkeston Town | 5 September 2009 |
| 18 September 2009 | CB |  Shane Lowry |
Plymouth Argyle | 1 January 2010 |
| 26 September 2009 | CF | Marlon Harewood | Newcastle United | 31 December 2009 |
| 26 October 2009 | CB | Nathan Baker | Lincoln City | 1 January 2010 |
| 26 October 2009 | CF | James Collins |
Darlington | 22 January 2010 |
| 26 October 2009 | RB |  Eric Lichaj |
Lincoln City | 1 January 2010 |
| 7 November 2009 | CM | Isaiah Osbourne | Middlesbrough | 5 January 2010 |
| 19 November 2009 | CM | Jonathan Hogg | Darlington | 2 January 2010 |
| 24 November 2009 | LB | Nicky Shorey | Nottingham Forest | 26 January 2010 |
| 26 November 2009 | CM |  Barry Bannan |
Blackpool | 31 May 2010 |
| 26 November 2009 | CM | Chris Herd |
Lincoln City | 26 December 2009 |
| 5 December 2009 | GK | David Bevan |
Solihull Moors | 5 January 2010 |
| 30 January 2010 | CB | Shane Lowry |
Leeds United | 31 May 2010 |
| 1 February 2010 | LB | Nicky Shorey | Fulham | 31 May 2010 |
| 26 March 2010 | RB | Eric Lichaj |
Leyton Orient | 31 May 2010 |
Overall transfer activity edit
First team squad edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Left club during season edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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Reserve squad edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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Kit changes edit
The club once again dismissed sponsorship payments to allow Acorns as a charitable sponsor. A new away kit was unveiled on 24 May 2009 and inspired by the England national football team. It features a white and gray halved style with pinstripes and a navy accent, intended to pay tribute to the 67 Villa players that have appeared for the country while at the club.[1] The blue and black away kit of 2008–09 also became this season's third kit.[2] The new home kit was unveiled the day before the first clash of the Peace Cup 2009, which was against Málaga on Saturday 25 July.[3]
Premier League edit
Final league position edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 67 | 41 | +26 | 70 | Qualification for the Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Manchester City | 38 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 73 | 45 | +28 | 67 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round[a] |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 64 | |
| 7 | Liverpool | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 61 | 35 | +26 | 63 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[b] |
| 8 | Everton | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 61 |
Source: Premier League
Notes:
Notes:
- ^ Since Manchester United won the League Cup and then qualified for the Champions League, their spot in the Europa League was passed down to the 6th-placed team. The 6th-placed Aston Villa was coincidentally also the League Cup runners-up.
- ^ Originally Portsmouth qualified for the third qualifying round of the Europa League as the FA Cup runners-up, replacing the winners, Champions League-qualified Chelsea. However, they failed to apply for a UEFA licence. Therefore, Liverpool as the best placed team not qualified for the European competitions took their place.
Results edit
Results by matchday edit
| 15 August 2009 1 | Aston Villa | 0–2 | Wigan Athletic | Birmingham |
Rodallega  31'Koumas 56' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,578 |
| 24 August 2009 2 | Liverpool | 1–3 | Aston Villa | Liverpool |
| Torres 72' |
Lucas 34' (o.g.) Davies 44'A. Young 75' |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,667 |
| 30 August 2009 3 | Aston Villa | 2–0 | Fulham | Birmingham |
| Pantsil 3' (o.g.) Agbonlahor 60' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 32,917 |
| 13 September 2009 4 | Birmingham City | 0–1 | Aston Villa | Birmingham |
| Agbonlahor 85' |
Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 25,196 |
| 19 September 2009 5 | Aston Villa | 2–0 | Portsmouth | Birmingham |
| Milner 34' (pen.) Agbonlahor 43' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,979 |
| 26 September 2009 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 2–1 | Aston Villa | Blackburn |
| Samba 24' Dunn 88' (pen.) |
Agbonlahor 3' |
Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 25,172 |
| 5 October 2009 7 | Aston Villa | 1–1 | Manchester City | Birmingham |
| Dunne 15' |
Bellamy 67' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 37,924 |
| 17 October 2009 8 | Aston Villa | 2–1 | Chelsea | Birmingham |
| Dunne 32' Collins 52' |
Drogba 15' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,047 |
| 24 October 2009 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–1 | Aston Villa | Wolverhampton |
| Ebanks-Blake 83' (pen.) |
Agbonlahor 79' |
Stadium: Molineux |
| 31 October 2009 10 | Everton | 1–1 | Aston Villa | Liverpool |
| Bilyaletdinov 44' |
Carew 46' |
Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 36,648 |
| 4 November 2009 11 | West Ham United | 2–1 | Aston Villa | London |
| Noble 44' (pen.) Hines 90' |
A. Young 52' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 30,024 |
| 7 November 2009 12 | Aston Villa | 5–1 | Bolton Wanderers | Birmingham |
| A. Young 5' Agbonlahor 43'Carew 53'Milner 72'Cuéllar 76' |
Elmander 44' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 38,101 |
| 21 November 2009 13 | Burnley | 1–1 | Aston Villa | Burnley |
| Caldwell 9' |
Heskey 86' |
Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 21,179 |
| 28 November 2009 14 | Aston Villa | 1–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Birmingham |
| Agbonlahor 10' |
Dawson 77' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,866 |
| 5 December 2009 15 | Aston Villa | 3–0 | Hull City | Birmingham |
| Dunne 13' Milner 29'Carew 88' (pen.) |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,748 |
| 12 December 2009 16 | Manchester United | 0–1 | Aston Villa | Manchester |
| Agbonlahor 21' |
Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,130 |
| 15 December 2009 17 | Sunderland | 0–2 | Aston Villa | Sunderland |
| Heskey 24' Milner 61' |
Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 34,821 |
| 19 December 2009 18 | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Stoke City | Birmingham |
| Carew 61' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,852 |
| 27 December 2009 19 | Arsenal | 3–0 | Aston Villa | London |
| Fàbregas 65', 81' Diaby 90' |
Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,056 |
| 29 December 2009 20 | Aston Villa | 0–1 | Liverpool | Birmingham |
| Torres 90+3' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,788 |
| 17 January 2010 21 | Aston Villa | 0–0 | West Ham United | Birmingham |
| Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,646 |
| 27 January 2010 22 | Aston Villa | 0–0 | Arsenal | Birmingham |
| Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,601 |
| 30 January 2010 23 | Fulham | 0–2 | Aston Villa | London |
| Agbonlahor 40', 44' |
Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 25,408 |
| 6 February 2010 24 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0–0 | Aston Villa | London |
| Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,899 |
| 10 February 2010 25 | Aston Villa | 1–1 | Manchester United | Birmingham |
| Cuéllar 19' |
Collins 23' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,788 |
| 21 February 2010 26 | Aston Villa | 5–2 | Burnley | Birmingham |
| A. Young 32' Downing 56', 58'Heskey 61'Agbonlahor 68' |
S. Fletcher 10' Paterson 90' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 38,709 |
| 13 March 2010 27 | Stoke City | 0–0 | Aston Villa | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 27,598 |
| 16 March 2010 28 | Wigan Athletic | 1–2 | Aston Villa | Wigan |
| Caldwell 27' |
McCarthy 25' (o.g.) Milner 63' |
Stadium: DW Stadium Attendance: 16,186 |
| 20 March 2010 29 | Aston Villa | 2–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Birmingham |
| Carew 16', 82' |
Craddock 23' Milner 38' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 37,562 |
| 24 March 2010 30 | Aston Villa | 1–1 | Sunderland | Birmingham |
| Carew 30' |
F. Campbell 22' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 37,473 |
| 27 March 2010 31 | Chelsea | 7–1 | Aston Villa | London |
| Lampard 15', 44' (pen.), 62' (pen.), 90+1' Malouda 57', 68'Kalou 83' |
Carew 29' |
Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,825 |
| 3 April 2010 32 | Bolton Wanderers | 0–1 | Aston Villa | Bolton |
| A. Young 11' |
Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 22,000 |
| 15 April 2010 33 | Aston Villa | 2–2 | Everton | Birmingham |
| Agbonlahor 72' Jagielka 90' (o.g.) |
T. Cahill 23', 74' |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 38,729 |
| 18 April 2010 34 | Portsmouth | 1–2 | Aston Villa | Portsmouth |
| M. Brown 10' |
Carew 16' Delfouneso 82' |
Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 16,523 |
| 21 April 2010 35 | Hull City | 0–2 | Aston Villa | Kingston-upon-Hull |
| Agbonlahor 14' Milner 76' (pen.) |
Stadium: KC Stadium Attendance: 23,842 |
| 25 April 2010 36 | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Birmingham City | Birmingham |
| Milner 83' (pen.) |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,788 |
| 1 May 2010 37 | Manchester City | 3–1 | Aston Villa | Manchester |
| Tevez 42' (pen.) Adebayor 43'Bellamy 90' |
Carew 16' |
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,102 |
| 9 May 2010 38 | Aston Villa | 0–1 | Blackburn Rovers | Birmingham |
| Dunne 84' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 41,799 |
Cup matches edit
FA Cup edit
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/01/2010 | R3 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–1 | 25,453 | Delfouneso, Cuéllar, Carew (pen.) |
| 23 January 2010 | R4 | Brighton and Hove Albion | H | 3–2 | 39,725 | Delfouneso, A. Young, Delph |
| 14 February 2010 | R5 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–2 | 20,486 | Collins, Petrov |
| 24 February 2010 | R5 (R) | Crystal Palace | H | 3–1 | 31,874 | Agbonlahor, Carew (2 pen.) |
| 07/03/2010 | R6 | Reading | A | 4–2 | 23,175 | A. Young, Carew (3, 1 pen.) |
| 10/04/2010 | SF | Chelsea | N | 0–3 | 85,472 |
League Cup edit
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 September 2009 | R3 | Cardiff City | H | 1–0 | 22,527 | Agbonlahor |
| 27 October 2009 | R4 | Sunderland | A | 0–0 | 27,666 | (Pens: Carew, Collins, A. Young) |
| 0–0 after extra time – Aston Villa won 3–1 on penalties | ||||||
| 01/12/2009 | QF | Portsmouth | A | 4–2 | 17,034 | Milner, Heskey, Downing, A. Young |
| 14 January 2010[4] | SF (1) | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–0 | 18,595 | Milner |
| 20 January 2010 | SF (2) | Blackburn Rovers | H | 6–4 | 40,406 | Warnock, Milner (pen.), Nzonzi (o.g.), Agbonlahor, Heskey, A. Young |
| Aston Villa won 7–4 on aggregate | ||||||
| 28 February 2010 | F | Manchester United | N | 1–2 | 88,596 | Milner (pen.) |
UEFA Europa League edit
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2009 | Play-off Round (1) |  Rapid Vienna
|
A | 0–1 | 17,600 | |
| 27 August 2009 | Play-off Round (2) | Rapid Vienna
|
H | 2–1 | 22,563 | Milner (pen.), Carew |
| 2–2 on aggregate; Rapid Vienna won on away goals | ||||||
Friendly matches edit
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 July 2009 | Peterborough United | A | 3–0 | Weimann, Davies, Sidwell | ||
| 21 July 2009 | Colchester United | A | 2–2 | Sidwell, McGurk | ||
| 04/08/2009 | Oxford United | A | 0–2 | 12,000 | ||
| 08/08/2009 |  Fiorentina
|
H | 1–0 | 22,915 | Heskey |
Peace Cup edit
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2009 | Group C |  Málaga
|
A | 0–1 | 4,000 | ||
| 29 July 2009 | Group C |  Atlante
|
N | 3–1 | 1,000 | Albrighton, Carew, A. Young | |
| 31 July 2009 | Semi-Final |  Porto
|
N | 2–1 | 26,000 | Heskey, Sidwell | |
| 02/08/2009 | Final | Juventus
|
N | 0–0 | (Pens: Bannan, Lowry, A. Young, Cuéllar) | ||
| 0–0 after extra time – Aston Villa won 4–3 on penalties | |||||||
Goalscorers edit
| Name | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europa League | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 John Carew
|
10
|
6
|
1
|
17
| |
 Gabriel Agbonlahor
|
13
|
1
|
2
|
16
| |
| James Milner
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
12
| |
| Ashley Young
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
9
| |
| Emile Heskey
|
3
|
2
|
5
| ||
| Richard Dunne
|
3
|
3
| |||
| Carlos Cuéllar
|
2
|
1
|
3
| ||
| Stewart Downing
|
2
|
1
|
3
| ||
| Nathan Delfouneso
|
1
|
2
|
3
| ||
| James Collins
|
1
|
1
|
2
| ||
| Curtis Davies
|
1
|
1
| |||
| Fabian Delph
|
1
|
1
| |||
 Stiliyan Petrov
|
1
|
1
| |||
| Stephen Warnock
|
1
|
1
| |||
| Opposition own goals | 4
|
1
|
5
| ||
| Total Goals | 52
|
15
|
13
|
2
|
82
|
Appearances edit
| Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Start | Sub. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Young
|
37
|
6
|
5
|
2
|
50
|
0
|
50
|
| James Milner
|
36
|
5
|
6
|
2
|
48
|
1
|
49
|
| Carlos Cuéllar
|
38
|
4
|
6
|
2
|
48
|
0
|
48
|
| Stilyan Petrov
|
38
|
3
|
6
|
1
|
47
|
0
|
48
|
| Gabriel Agbonlahor
|
36
|
2
|
6
|
2
|
43
|
3
|
46
|
| Richard Dunne
|
35
|
4
|
5
|
0
|
44
|
0
|
44
|
| Brad Friedel
|
38
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
42
|
0
|
42
|
| John Carew
|
33
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
27
|
15
|
42
|
| Emile Heskey
|
31
|
4
|
5
|
2
|
26
|
16
|
42
|
| Stephen Warnock
|
31
|
6
|
5
|
0
|
42
|
0
|
42
|
| James Collins
|
30
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
39
|
1
|
40
|
| Stewart Downing
|
23
|
6
|
4
|
0
|
33
|
2
|
35
|
| Steve Sidwell
|
25
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
14
|
19
|
33
|
| Luke Young
|
16
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
18
|
2
|
20
|
| Fabian Delph
|
8
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
10
|
5
|
15
|
| Nigel Reo-Coker
|
10
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
9
|
4
|
13
|
| Nathan Delfouneso
|
9
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
11
|
13
|
| Habib Beye
|
6
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
10
|
1
|
11
|
| Brad Guzan
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
2
|
10
|
0
|
10
|
| Marc Albrighton
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
6
|
| Nicky Shorey
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
6
|
0
|
6
|
| Curtis Davies
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
| Craig Gardner
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
| Shane Lowry
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
| Ciaran Clark
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "The New Aston Villa Away Kit 2009/2010". Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ "2009/1010 Aston Villa Third Kit". Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ "2009/2010 Aston Villa Home Kit". Archived from the original on 23 July 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ^ Game postponed on 5 January due to bad weather