2009–10 Aston Villa F.C. season

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Aston Villa

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)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2008–09 2010–11 →

The 2009–10 season was Aston Villa's 135th professional season; their 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.

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.

First team squad[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  USA Brad Friedel 2 DF  ENG Luke Young 3 DF  NED Wilfred Bouma 4 MF  ENG Steve Sidwell 5 DF  IRL Richard Dunne 6 MF  ENG Stewart Downing 7 MF  ENG Ashley Young 8 MF  ENG James Milner 10 FW  NOR John Carew 11 FW  ENG Gabriel Agbonlahor 12 MF  ENG Marc Albrighton 14 FW  ENG Nathan Delfouneso 15 DF  ENG Curtis Davies 16 MF  ENG Fabian Delph

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 FW  ENG Emile Heskey 19 MF  BUL Stiliyan Petrov (captain) 20 MF  ENG Nigel Reo-Coker 21 DF  ENG Nicky Shorey 22 GK  USA Brad Guzan 23 DF  SEN Habib Beye 24 DF  ESP Carlos Cuéllar 25 DF  ENG Stephen Warnock 26 MF  ENG Craig Gardner 29 DF  WAL James Collins 33 GK  ENG Andy Marshall 45 MF  AUS Shane Lowry 47 DF  ENG Ciaran Clark

Left club during season[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 9 FW  ENG Marlon Harewood (on loan to Newcastle United) 21 DF  ENG Nicky Shorey (on loan to Nottingham Forest and Fulham) 26 MF  ENG Craig Gardner (to Birmingham City) 27 MF  ENG Isaiah Osbourne (on loan to Middlesbrough) 44 DF  USA Eric Lichaj (on loan to Lincoln City and Leyton Orient)

No. Pos. Nation Player 45 MF  AUS Shane Lowry (on loan to Plymouth and Leeds United) 46 MF  SCO Barry Bannan (on loan to Blackpool) 48 DF  ENG Nathan Baker (on loan to Lincoln City) 49 MF  AUS Chris Herd (on loan to Lincoln City) 50 MF  ENG Jonathan Hogg (on loan to Darlington)

Reserve squad[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 9 FW  ENG Marlon Harewood 17 MF  TOG Moustapha Salifou 27 MF  ENG Isaiah Osbourne 42 FW  AUT Andreas Weimann 43 GK  ENG Elliott Parish

No. Pos. Nation Player 44 DF  USA Eric Lichaj 46 MF  SCO Barry Bannan 48 DF  ENG Nathan Baker 49 MF  AUS Chris Herd 50 MF  ENG Jonathan Hogg

Transfers[]

Transfers in[]

Date	Position	Player Name	Previous club	League	Transfer fee	Notes
18 June 2009	MF	Courtney Cameron	Northampton Town	League Two	Undisclosed	Youth player
20 June 2009	MF	Samir Carruthers	Arsenal	Premier League	Free	Youth player
16 July 2009	MF	Stewart Downing	Middlesbrough	Championship	£10,000,000	Potential further £2,000,000 based on appearances.
4 August 2009	MF	Fabian Delph	Leeds United	League One	Undisclosed
7 August 2009	DF	Habib Beye	Newcastle United	Championship	Undisclosed
12 August 2009	GK	Andy Marshall	Coventry City	Championship	free	Free transfer following release from Coventry City
27 August 2009	DF	Stephen Warnock	Blackburn Rovers	Premier League	Undisclosed
1 September 2009	DF	James Collins	West Ham United	Premier League	£5,000,000
2 September 2009	DF	Richard Dunne	Manchester City	Premier League	£6,000,000

Transfers out[]

Date	Position	Player name	New club	League	Transfer fee	Notes
2 June 2009	MF	Gareth Barry	Manchester City	Premier League	£12 million	Captaincy succeeded by Stiliyan Petrov
23 June 2009	GK	Stuart Taylor	Manchester City	Premier League	Free	Player officially joined on 1 July 2009
1 July 2009	FW	Tobias Mikaelsson	FC Trollhättan	Superettan	Free	Youth player
21 July 2009	FW	Sam Williams	Yeovil Town	Football League One	Free	Youth player
25 July 2009	DF	Zat Knight	Bolton Wanderers	Premier League	Undisclosed fee
26 January 2010	MF	Craig Gardner	Birmingham City	Premier League	£3 million

Loan out[]

Date	Position	Player Name	New Club	League	Date Returned	Notes
5 August 2009	GK	David Bevan	Ilkeston Town	Conference North	5 September 2009	Youth player
17 September 2009	DF	Shane Lowry	Plymouth Argyle	Football League Championship	17 December 2009
24 September 2009	FW	Marlon Harewood	Newcastle United	Football League Championship	25 December 2009
October 2009	GK	David Bevan	Bedworth United	Southern Division One Central	Unknown	Youth player
26 October 2009	DF	Eric Lichaj	Lincoln City	Football League Two	1 January 2010	Loan extended to January 2010 after initial month
26 October 2009	DF	Nathan Baker	Lincoln City	Football League Two	1 January 2010	Loan extended to January 2010 after initial month
26 October 2009	FW	James Collins	Darlington	Football League Two	22 January 2010	Youth player
7 November 2009	MF	Isaiah Osbourne	Middlesbrough	Football League Championship	5 January 2010
19 November 2009	MF	Jonathan Hogg	Darlington	Football League Two	2 January 2010
24 November 2009	DF	Nicky Shorey	Nottingham Forest	Football League Championship	24 December 2009
26 November 2009	DF	Chris Herd	Lincoln City	Football League Two	26 December 2009
26 November 2009	MF	Barry Bannan	Blackpool	Football League Championship	26 January 2010	Loan extended until the end of the season
5 December 2009[1]	GK	David Bevan	Solihull Moors	Conference North	5 January 2010	Youth player
30 January 2010	DF	Shane Lowry	Leeds United	Football League One	9 May 2010
1 February 2010	DF	Nicky Shorey	Fulham	Premier League	10 May 2010
26 March 2010	DF	Eric Lichaj	Leyton Orient	Football League One	9 May 2010	Loan extended until the end of the season

Kit changes[]

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.^[2] The blue and black away kit of 2008–09 also became this season's third kit.^[3] 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.^[4]

Premier League[]

Final league position[]

Pos	Team v t	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

Results[]

Results by matchday[]

Cup matches[]

FA Cup[]

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
02/01/2010	R3	Blackburn Rovers	H	3–1	25,453	Delfouneso, Cuéllar, Carew (pen.)
23/01/2010	R4	Brighton and Hove Albion	H	3–2	39,725	Delfouneso, A. Young, Delph
14/02/2010	R5	Crystal Palace	A	2–2	20,486	Collins, Petrov
24/02/2010	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[]

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
23/09/2009	R3	Cardiff City	H	1–0	22,527	Agbonlahor
27/10/2009	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
14/01/2010[5]	SF (1)	Blackburn Rovers	A	1–0	18,595	Milner
20/01/2010	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
28/02/2010	F	Manchester United	N	1–2	88,596	Milner (pen.)

UEFA Europa League[]

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
20/08/2009	Play-off Round (1)	Rapid Vienna	A	0–1	17,600
27/08/2009	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[]

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
18/07/2009	Peterborough United	A	3–0		Weimann, Davies, Sidwell
21/07/2009	Colchester United	A	2–2		Sidwell, McGurk
04/08/2009	Oxford United	A	0–2
08/08/2009	Fiorentina	H	1–0		Heskey

Peace Cup[]

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
25/07/2009	Group C	Málaga	A	0–1
29/07/2009	Group C	Atlante	N	3–1		Albrighton, Carew, A. Young
31/07/2009	Semi-Final	Porto	N	2–1		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[]

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[]

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[]

• 2009–10 in English football
• List of Aston Villa F.C. seasons

References[]