Football: Gunn holds off Villa's volleys

Aston Villa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

Norwich City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

ANY point in a storm for Norwich City, whose post-Europe voyage has been a struggle to negotiate the reefs.

They have now only won once in the Premiership since Mike Walker's departure for Everton in mid-January, 14 matches ago, but a draw here at least punctuated a run of five defeats in six games.

It has mightily pleased Walker's promoted assistant, John Deehan: 'We set out our stall to be a little bit more resilient. We have leaked some sloppy goals recently but the players showed tremendous determination.'

There is not much danger of leaking goals against Aston Villa at the moment. The Coca- Cola Cup winners are going through one of their periodic droughts. Although they rained in some stinging long-range efforts on Bryan Gunn's goal they were unable to beat him, and the only goal to their credit in the last six League games came off an Oldham defender's boot.

Even so their manager, Ron Atkinson, hailed it as one of their better attacking displays of late. But overall it underlined a disappointing season for the Premiership's second- and third-placed sides of last season. Villa have taken five points from the last 21, Norwich four.

Mind you, the visitors could almost have doubled that with one piece of Chris Sutton skill. The 21-year-old striker already burdened with a pounds 4m-plus price tag, and as the young leader of Norwich's line is also recuperating from an illness that caused him to lose half a stone a week ago. But he still had the strength to race on to Mark Bowen's long pass with five minutes to go. He deftly looped it over Ugo Ehiogu's head with his right foot before crashing a first-timer with his left off the outside of a rooted Mark Bosnich's post.

'You probably won't see the best of him until the start of next season, when he will be a Norwich player,' Deehan said ruefully but hopefully. 'My chairman is a clever man and he says if Sutton goes he will go.'

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Bosnich; Barrett, Ehiogu, Teale, Staunton; Atkinson, Richardson, Townsend, Daley; Fenton (Yorke, h-t), Saunders. Substitutes not used: Cox, Spink (gk).

Norwich City (3-5-2): Gunn; Prior, Culverhouse, Woodthorpe; Bowen, Megson (Smith, 53), Crook, Goss, Ullathorne; Sutton, Eadie (Adams, 78). Substitute not used: Howie (gk).

Referee: M Bodenham (Cornwall).