Ruthless Villa punish gallant Doncaster

SOCCER: ENGLISH FA CUP FOURTH ROUND REPLAYS: Aston Villa 3 Doncaster Rovers 1ROTATION HAS never come easily to Martin O'Neill but last night the Aston Villa manager was able to celebrate a rare and welcome victory achieved without several of his senior players. Fielding a weakened side has backfired on O'Neill in the Uefa Cup and League Cup this season, but there was to be no repeat here as Villa, albeit in less than convincing fashion, reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for only the second time in nine seasons.

Villa’s ruthlessness in the final third was the difference as John Carew’s first goal in three months, sandwiched between efforts from Steve Sidwell and Nathan Delfouneso, accounted for the visitors. Any hopes Doncaster had of producing a shock appeared to have evaporated inside the opening 19 minutes. Sidwell was certainly not going to pass up the opportunity to tap into an empty net after Neil Sullivan could only palm Craig Gardner’s low shot. Four minutes later the lead was doubled when Carew’s 22-yard effort deflected off Sam Hird and over the stranded Sullivan. Doncaster might have imploded but, to their credit, the visitors continued to probe and unnerve Villa.

Richie Wellens will lament his failure to at least hit the target with a snatched shot in the 22nd minute and James Coppinger headed inches over later in the first half. Those moments provided Villa with a reminder that the game was not over and so it proved on the stroke of half-time when Delfouneso carelessly lost possession. Jason Price seized on the mistake, confidently side-footing Coppinger’s pass beyond Brad Guzan. Nicky Shorey then was allowed the time and space to deliver a left-wing cross that Delfouneso glanced into the far corner for his third senior goal.

ASTON VILLA: Guzan; L Young, Cuellar, Davies, Shorey; Gardner, Sidwell, Salifou, A Young (Osbourne, 78); Carew, Delfouneso. Subs not used: Friedel, Barry, Milner, Agbonlahor, Knight, Lowry.

DONCASTER ROVERS: Sullivan; O'Connor, Mills, Hird, Chambers; Spicer (Guy, 75), Wellens, Stock, Woods; Price (Heffernan, 75), Coppinger (Byfield, 76) Subs not used: Roberts, Van Nieuwstadt, Taylor, Lockwood.

Referee: L Mason (England).

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