Simon Rusk
Image by: Stuart Butcher
PUBLISHED
21:36 14th September 2015
by James Hilsum
ASTON VILLA 2Sellars '45
Kozak (pen)'90
ALBION 1
Crofts '4
- Andrew Crofts on target for Albion
- Jerell Sellars and Libor Kozak secure win for Villa
- Connor Goldson makes his Seagulls debut
- Inigo Calderon plays the full 90 minutes
Crofts got Albion off to the perfect start inside four minutes, as he took advantage of a gap in the Villa defence and fired the ball home.
Kozak had a chance to level the scores in the early stages but shot wide of Josh Smith's goal.
Striker Daniel Akindayini was next to break forward for the Seagulls but his shot went high and wide of the target.
Khalid Abdo came close for the hosts with a curling free-kick that cannoned off the post before rebounding to safety.
The Villans stepped up the pressure on the Albion defence, when Smith was forced to make a quick reaction save to deny Sellars, while debutant Connor Goldson had to be alert to clear Kozak's header off the line.
It was Sellars that cancelled out Albion's lead right on half time after he met Abdo's cut-back to level the scores.
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Substitute James Tilley was brought on to add fresh impetus to Albion's attack and he almost made an instant impact, after his shot forced a good save by Bradley Watkins.But it was the West Midlands side that stole the points at the death when Lewis Kinsella was brought down inside the box and Kozak stepped up to fire home the penalty.
ALBION: Smith, Hunt, White, Goldson, Starkey; Calderon, Barclay (Barnett 55), Crofts; Akindayini, Kandi (Tilley 67), Ward.
SUBS NOT USED: Vose (GK), Deen, Tighe.
[h=3]ALBION V ROTHERHAM UNITED*
[/h]TUESDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER, KICK-OFF 7.45PM
[h=3]ALBION V CARDIFF CITY*
[/h]SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]ALBION V BRISTOL CITY
[/h]TUESDAY 20TH OCTOBER, KICK-OFF 7.45PM
Original article