Town 0-0 Aston Villa - Half-Time Saturday, 17th Sep 2016 15:56 Town’s home game with Aston Villa remains 0-0 at half-time. Freddie Sears and Tom Lawrence replaced Kevin Bru and Conor Grant, who both dropped to the bench, in an otherwise unchanged side. Lawrence started in the hole behind Brett Pitman with Sears on the left. Villa, who made four changes from the side which drew 1-1 at home to Brentford in midweek, were without striker Ross McCormack, due to a knee problem, while fellow frontman Rudy Gestede also missed out. Right-back Ritchie De Laet was another absentee as he requires a knee operation, while Aly Cissokho dropped to the bench. Nathan Baker, Leandro Bacuna, Jordan Amivi and Jack Grealish all came into the starting line-up. Villa started on top and in only the second minute Jordan Amavi sent a dangerous ball from the left across the Blues’ six-yard box but no one was on hand to add a touch. Town’s first chance came in the fourth minute when Pitman hit a shot from outside the area which Villa keeper Pierluigi Gollini palmed behind. Lawrence took the resultant corner, which dropped on the edge of the six-yard box but fortunately for the visitors not to a Blue shirt. However, Villa were looking the more dangerous side in the opening minutes and on 12 Jack Grealish cut on from the left and saw his shot blocked. On 17 Sears felt he should have been awarded a penalty when challenged on the left of the area, then a minute later the former West Ham man struck a shot from just outside the area but too close to Gollini. The Blues were beginning to get on top, winning a number of corners and throws on the left. In the 19th minute Pitman flicked a header on to Lawrence, who had found space in the the area, but Baker got across quickly to block the full debutant’s strike. Six minutes later Lawrence picked the ball up after a spell of head tennis midway inside the Villa half. The Wales international took it on a couple of paces before hitting a powerful shot not too far past Gollini’s left post. Villa were forced into a change in the 28th minute when Baker suffered a knock and was replaced by former England man Micah Richards with the visitors moving into a back three. As half-time approached the Midlanders were having most of the ball but without being able to create an opening with too many crosses from the left hit too long. On 41 Sears was sent away on the right of the Villa area by Lawrence but hit his shot into the side-netting from a tight angle when he ought to have waited for a team-mate and crossed. A minute later, Sears was again found in a similar area but this time looped his cross deep to no one. With a couple of minutes of scheduled time remaining Pitman did well to dispossess James Chester in the area and win a corner. Following Lawrence’s flag-kick Ward hit a shot which was blocked, then at the other end Grealish shot wide. After a minute of added time referee Tony Harrington ended what had been an evenly balanced first half. Both sides had had spells on top but with neither able to force a serious opportunity to take the lead. Villa, and Grealish in particularly, had looked dangerous around the Blues’ box but similarly Sears and Lawrence had shown their willingness to shoot in the final third. Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Webster, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Lawrence, Ward, Sears, Pitman. Subs: Gerken, Kenlock, Bru, Bishop, Grant, Varney, Best. Aston Villa: Gollina, Bacuna, Elphick (c), Chester, Baker (Richards 28), Amavi, Westwood, Jedinak, Grealish, Ayew, Kodjia. Subs: Bunn, Kozak, Hutton, Gardner, Cissokho. Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland).
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