2001–02 Aston Villa F.C. season

During 2001–02, Aston Villa competed in the Premier League (known as the FA Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons). Aston Villa's early season form was good and the Midlanders even went top briefly at the end of October, but followed that with a run of eleven games with only one win, falling out of the title race.

Aston Villa
2001–02 season
ChairmanDoug Ellis
ManagerJohn Gregory (until 24 January)[1]
John Deehan and Stuart Gray (caretakers)
Graham Taylor (from 5 February)
StadiumVilla Park
Premier League8th
FA CupThird round
League CupFourth round
Intertoto CupWinners
UEFA CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Darius Vassell and Juan Pablo Ángel (12)
All:
Juan Pablo Ángel (16)
Average home league attendance35,012

John Gregory announced his surprise resignation after four years as Villa manager on 24 January. A host of names were linked with the vacancy, but in the end it was Graham Taylor, who took Villa to promotion in 1988 and second place in the league in 1990, who was appointed manager. Taylor was unable to improve Villa's form, but two wins against Southampton and Chelsea at the end of the season where enough to see Villa finish eighth thus finishing in the top 10 for the seventh year in succession.

Kit
Kit Supplier Sponsor
DiadoraNTL

Transfers

Transferred in
Date Pos Player From Fee
20 June 2001AMMorocco Hassan KachloulSouthamptonFree transfer
7 July 2001LMMorocco Mustapha HadjiCoventry City£4,500,000
12 July 2001GKDenmark Peter SchmeichelPortugal SportingFree transfer
19 July 2001CBSweden Olof MellbergSpain Racing Santander£5,000,000
24 August 2001CFCroatia Boško BalabanCroatia Dinamo Zagreb£5,800,000
27 March 2002CFPeter CrouchPortsmouth£5,000,000
£20,300,000

Loaned in
Date Pos Player From Loan End

Transferred out
Date Pos Player To Fee
1 July 2001CMSweden David Curtolo-Released
1 July 2001GKNeil CutlerStoke CityFree transfer
7 July 2001CFJulian JoachimCoventry City£2,000,000
11 July 2001GKDavid JamesWest Ham United£3,500,000
11 July 2001CBGareth SouthgateMiddlesbrough£6,500,000
31 October 2001CFScotland Neil TarrantScotland Ross CountyFree transfer
20 December 2001CFRichard WalkerBlackpool£50,000
8 February 2002LMFrance David GinolaEvertonFree transfer
19 March 2002AMMichael StandingBradford CityFree transfer
£12,050,000

Loaned out
Date Pos Player To Loan End
26 July 2001CFScotland Neil TarrantScotland Motherwell31 October 2001
14 September 2001CFRichard WalkerWycombe Wanderers11 December 2001
25 October 2001LBTrinidad and Tobago Jlloyd SamuelGillingham3 December 2001
26 October 2001LMGermany Thomas HitzlspergerChesterfield10 December 2001
9 March 2002CMStephen CookeBournemouth21 April 2002
28 March 2002CFDion DublinMillwall31 May 2002

Overall transfer activity

Squad

First Team
# Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth (Age) Signed from Date signed Fee Apps Gls
Goalkeepers
1Peter SchmeichelGKDenmarkGladsaxe (1963-11-18)18 November 1963 (aged 37)Portugal Sporting12 July 2000Free transfer--
12Peter EnckelmanGKFinlandTurku (1977-03-10)10 March 1977 (aged 24)Finland TPS1 February 1999£200,000140
13Boaz MyhillGKWalesUnited States Modesto, CA (1982-11-09)9 November 1982 (aged 18)Academy1 July 2001—--
39Wayne HendersonGKRepublic of IrelandDublin (1983-09-16)16 September 1983 (aged 17)Academy1 July 2001—--
Defenders
2Mark DelaneyRBWalesHaverfordwest (1976-05-13)13 May 1976 (aged 25)Wales Cardiff City9 March 1999£250,000591
3Alan WrightLBEnglandAshton-under-Lyne (1971-09-28)28 September 1971 (aged 29)Blackburn Rovers10 March 1995£1,000,0002865
4Olof MellbergCBSwedenGullspång (1977-09-03)3 September 1977 (aged 23)Spain Racing Santander19 July 2001£5,000,000--
5Alpay ÖzalanCBTurkeyİzmir (1973-05-30)30 May 1973 (aged 28)Turkey Fenerbahçe28 July 2000£5,600,000360
11Steve StauntonLBRepublic of IrelandDundalk (1969-01-19)19 January 1969 (aged 32)Liverpool6 December 2000Free transfer28117
15Gareth BarryLBEnglandHastings (1981-02-23)23 February 1981 (aged 20)Academy1 January 1998—1214
25Jon BewersRBEnglandKettering (1982-09-10)10 September 1982 (aged 18)Academy1 July 1999—10
31Jlloyd SamuelLBTrinidad and TobagoSan Fernando (1981-03-29)29 March 1981 (aged 20)Academy1 January 1999—170
Midfielders
6George BoatengCMNetherlandsGhana Nkawkaw (1975-09-05)5 September 1975 (aged 25)Coventry City20 July 1999£4,500,000864
7Ian TaylorCMEnglandBirmingham (1968-06-04)4 June 1968 (aged 33)Sheffield Wednesday21 December 1994£1,000,00025536
10Paul Merson (c)AMEnglandHarlesden (1968-03-20)20 March 1968 (aged 33)Middlesbrough8 September 1998£6,750,00011716
14David GinolaLMFranceGassin (1967-01-25)25 January 1967 (aged 34)Tottenham Hotspur30 July 2000£3,000,000283
17Lee HendrieRMEnglandSolihull (1977-05-18)18 May 1977 (aged 24)Academy1 July 1995—14616
18Steve StoneRMEnglandGateshead (1971-08-20)20 August 1971 (aged 29)Nottingham Forest11 March 1999£5,500,000886
20Mustapha HadjiLMMoroccoIfrane Atlas-Saghir (1971-11-16)16 November 1971 (aged 29)Coventry City7 July 2001£4,500,000--
21Thomas HitzlspergerLMGermanyMunich (1982-04-05)5 April 1982 (aged 19)Germany Bayern Munich5 August 2000Free transfer10
24John McGrathCMRepublic of IrelandLimerick (1980-03-27)27 March 1980 (aged 21)Academy1 July 1999—30
27Michael StandingAMEnglandShoreham-by-Sea (1981-03-20)20 March 1981 (aged 20)Academy1 July 1998—00
28Gavin MelaughCMNorthern IrelandDerry (1981-07-09)9 July 1981 (aged 19)Academy1 July 2000—00
29Stephen CookeCMEnglandWalsall (1983-02-15)15 February 1983 (aged 18)Academy1 July 2000—10
30Hassan KachloulAMMoroccoAgadir (1973-02-19)19 February 1973 (aged 28)Southampton1 July 2001—--
Forwards
8Juan Pablo ÁngelCFColombiaMedellín (1975-10-24)24 October 1975 (aged 25)Argentina River Plate13 January 2001£9,500,000101
9Dion DublinCFEnglandLeicester (1969-04-22)22 April 1969 (aged 32)Coventry City5 November 1998£5,750,0009735
16Peter CrouchCFEnglandMacclesfield (1981-01-30)30 January 1981 (aged 20)Portsmouth27 March 2002£5,000,000--
19Boško BalabanCFCroatiaRijeka (1978-10-15)15 October 1978 (aged 22)Croatia Dinamo Zagreb24 October 2001£5,800,000--
22Darius VassellCFEnglandBirmingham (1980-06-13)13 June 1980 (aged 21)Academy1 January 1998—587
23Stefan MooreCFEnglandBirmingham (1983-09-28)28 September 1983 (aged 17)Academy1 July 2001—--
26Richard WalkerCFEnglandBirmingham (1977-11-08)8 November 1977 (aged 23)Academy1 July 1997Loan102
42Peter HynesCFRepublic of IrelandDublin (1983-11-28)28 November 1983 (aged 17)Academy1 July 2001—--
44Neil TarrantCFScotlandEngland Darlington (1979-06-24)24 June 1979 (aged 22)Scotland Ross County28 April 1998£250,00000

Note: Stats and ages are correct as of July 1, 2001.

Final league table
Main article: 2001–02 FA Premier League
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
6 Chelsea 38 17 13 8 66 38 +28 64 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
7 West Ham United 38 15 8 15 48 57 −9 53
8 Aston Villa 38 12 14 12 46 47 −1 50 Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
9 Tottenham Hotspur 38 14 8 16 49 53 −4 50
10 Blackburn Rovers 38 12 10 16 55 51 +4 46 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 2]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. Since Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Chelsea, the losing finalists.
  2. Blackburn Rovers qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.
Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
38 12 14 12 46 47  −1 50 8 7 4 22 17  +5 4 7 8 24 30  −6
Results by matchday
Match1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
ResultDDWDWWWLWWLDDLDLWLLDDWWDDDLWLLDLDLLDWW
Position141581064453133567888897777777787781010101098
Source: 11v11.com: 2001-02 Aston Villa results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Aston Villa's score comes first[2]

Legend
Win Draw Loss

FA Premier League
DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
18 August 2001Tottenham HotspurA0–036,059
26 August 2001Manchester UnitedH1–142,632Vassell 4'
8 September 2001LiverpoolA3–144,102Dublin 31', Hendrie 55', Vassell 86'
16 September 2001SunderlandH0–031,668
24 September 2001SouthamptonA3–126,794Boateng 9', Ángel 15', Hadji 79'
30 September 2001Blackburn RoversH2–027,732Ángel 46', Vassell 72'
14 October 2001FulhamH2–028,579Vassell 50', Taylor 61'
20 October 2001EvertonA2–333,352Hadji 71', Schmeichel 90'
24 October 2001Charlton AthleticH1–027,701Kachloul 9'
27 October 2001Bolton WanderersH3–233,599Ángel 13', (pen) 47', Vassell 43'
3 November 2001Newcastle UnitedA0–351,057
17 November 2001MiddlesbroughH0–035,424
25 November 2001Leeds UnitedA1–140,159Kachloul 35'
1 December 2001Leicester CityH0–230,711
5 December 2001West Ham UnitedA1–128,377Dublin 1'
9 December 2001ArsenalA2–338,074Merson 21', Stone 34'
17 December 2001Ipswich TownH2–129,320Ángel 44', 70'
22 December 2001Derby CountyA1–328,001Ángel 45'
26 December 2001LiverpoolH1–242,602Hendrie 21'
29 December 2001Tottenham HotspurH1–141,134Ángel (pen) 90'
1 January 2002SunderlandA1–145,324Taylor 59'
12 January 2002Derby CountyH2–128,881Vassell 12', Ángel 26'
21 January 2002Charlton AthleticA2–125,681Vassell 8', Ángel 42'
30 January 2002EvertonH0–032,460
2 February 2002FulhamA0–020,041
9 February 2002ChelseaH1–141,137Merson 28'
23 February 2002Manchester UnitedA0–167,592
2 March 2002West Ham UnitedH2–137,341Ángel 23', Vassell 90'
5 March 2002Blackburn RoversA0–321,988
17 March 2002ArsenalH1–241,520Dublin 69'
23 March 2002Ipswich TownA0–025,247
30 March 2002Bolton WanderersA2–324,600Warhurst (own goal) 15', Taylor 17'
2 April 2002Newcastle UnitedH1–136,597Crouch 26'
6 April 2002MiddlesbroughA1–226,003Ángel 60'
13 April 2002Leeds UnitedH0–140,039
20 April 2002Leicester CityA2–218,125Vassell 22', Hitzlsperger 27'
27 April 2002SouthamptonH2–135,255Vassell 8', 42'
11 May 2002ChelseaA3–140,709Crouch 21', Vassell 63', Dublin 88'

FA Cup
Main article: 2001–02 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R36 January 2002Manchester UnitedH2–338,444Taylor 51', Neville (own goal) 53'

League Cup
Main article: 2001–02 Football League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R310 October 2001ReadingH1–023,431Dublin 45'
R428 November 2001Sheffield WednesdayH0–126,526

Intertoto Cup
Main article: 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R3 First Leg14 July 2001NK Slaven Belupo CroatiaA1–23,000Ginola 88'
R3 Second Leg21 July 2001NK Slaven Belupo CroatiaH2–0 (won 3–2 on agg)27,580Hendrie 19', 41'
SF First Leg25 July 2001Rennes FranceA1–215,753Vassell 90'
SF Second Leg1 August 2001Rennes FranceH1–0 (won on away goals)30,782Dublin 5'
F First Leg7 August 2001Basel SwitzerlandA1–125,879Merson 59'
F Second Leg21 August 2001Basel SwitzerlandH4–1 (won 5–2 on agg)39,593Vassell 45', Ángel 55', 79', Ginola 83'

UEFA Cup
Main article: 2001–02 UEFA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R1 First Leg20 September 2001NK Varteks CroatiaH2–327,132Ángel 54', 70'
R1 Second Leg27 September 2001NK Varteks CroatiaA1–0 (lost on away goals)12,100Hadji 90'

Players

First-team squad
Squad at end of season[3]

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 Denmark DEN Peter Schmeichel
2 DF Wales WAL Mark Delaney
3 DF England ENG Alan Wright
4 DF Sweden SWE Olof Mellberg
5 DF Turkey TUR Alpay Özalan
6 MF Netherlands NED George Boateng[lower-alpha 1]
7 MF England ENG Ian Taylor
8 FW Colombia COL Juan Pablo Ángel
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin
10 MF England ENG Paul Merson (captain)
11 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Steve Staunton
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 GK Finland FIN Peter Enckelman
15 DF England ENG Gareth Barry
16 FW England ENG Peter Crouch
17 MF England ENG Lee Hendrie
18 MF England ENG Steve Stone
19 FW Croatia CRO Boško Balaban
20 MF Morocco MAR Mustapha Hadji
21 MF Germany GER Thomas Hitzlsperger
22 FW England ENG Darius Vassell
30 MF Morocco MAR Hassan Kachloul
31 DF England ENG Jlloyd Samuel[lower-alpha 2]

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
14 MF France FRA David Ginola (to Everton)
26 FW England ENG Richard Walker (to Blackpool)
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 MF England ENG Michael Standing (to Bradford City)
44 FW Scotland SCO Neil Tarrant[lower-alpha 3] (to Ross County)

Reserve squad
The following players made most of their appearances for the reserves this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-17s, or may have appeared for the first team in a friendly.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK England ENG Boaz Myhill[lower-alpha 4]
24 MF Republic of Ireland IRL John McGrath
25 FW England ENG Jon Bewers
28 MF Northern Ireland NIR Gavin Melaugh
29 MF England ENG Stephen Cooke
— DF England ENG Danny Haynes
— DF England ENG Danny Jackman
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF England ENG Andrew Marfell
— MF England ENG Jay Smith
— MF England ENG David Berks
— MF Germany GER Giovanni Speranza[lower-alpha 5] (on trial)
— MF Ukraine UKR Serhiy Kandaurov[lower-alpha 6] (on trial from Benfica)
—   Stefan Andersson

U-19 squad
The following players made most of their appearances for the U-19s this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-17s.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
23 FW England ENG Stefan Moore
39 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Wayne Henderson
42 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Peter Hynes
43 DF England ENG Liam Ridgewell
46 DF England ENG Ben Willetts
— DF England ENG David Andrewartha
— DF England ENG Rob Edwards[lower-alpha 7]
— DF England ENG Leon Hylton
— DF England ENG Cameron Stuart
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Seán Dillon
— MF England ENG Ryan Amoo
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Jamie Cunnington (on trial to Bradford City)
— MF England ENG Alexis Nicolas[lower-alpha 8]
— MF England ENG James Pawley
— MF England ENG Peter Whittingham
— MF Northern Ireland NIR David Scullion
— MF Denmark DEN Thomas Kristensen (on trial from AB)
— MF Russia RUS Alexei Eremenko[lower-alpha 9] (on trial from FC Jokerit)
— FW England ENG Lee McGuire
— FW England ENG Michael Husbands
— FW Faroe Islands FRO Hjalgrím Elttør (on trial from KÍ)
— DF   Andy Wells

U-17 squad
The following players made most of their appearances for the U-17s this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-19s.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK England ENG Antoni Pecora
— GK Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen Gahan
— DF England ENG Stuart Bridges
— DF England ENG Gary Cahill
— DF England ENG Scott Cormell
— DF England ENG Nick Green
— DF England ENG Paul Green
— DF England ENG James O'Connor
— DF England ENG Oliver Williams
— MF England ENG Adam Baptist
— MF England ENG Jamie Ward[lower-alpha 10]
— MF Scotland SCO Colin Marshall
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Northern Ireland NIR Steven Davis
— MF Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen Foley-Sheridan
— FW England ENG Gabriel Agbonlahor
— FW England ENG Mark Atkinson
— FW England ENG Luke Moore
— FW England ENG Shane Paul
— FW Scotland SCO Alan Brazil
— MF   Rowan Caney
— MF   John Grady
— MF   David Nolan
—   Daniel Bridges

Other players
The following players did not play for any Aston Villa team this 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
— DF England ENG Liam Folds
— DF England ENG Jamie McCombe (on trial from Scunthorpe United)
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Pierre Ennis
— DF Denmark DEN Casper Abildgaard (on trial from AB)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Republic of Ireland IRL Keith Fahey
— FW England ENG John Turner
— MF   John Malpass

Statistics

Appearances and goals
No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremier LeagueFA CupLeague CupContinental
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK Denmark DEN Peter Schmeichel 361291102040
12 GK Finland FIN Peter Enckelman 1409000004+10
Defenders
2 DF Wales WAL Mark Delaney 390300001080
3 DF England ENG Alan Wright 320230101070
4 DF Sweden SWE Olof Mellberg 360320101020
5 DF Turkey TUR Alpay Özalan 240140002080
11 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Steve Staunton 38030+30102020
31 DF England ENG Jlloyd Samuel 26017+6010000+20
Midfielders
6 MF Netherlands NED George Boateng 481371101+1080
7 MF England ENG Ian Taylor 1847+93111000
10 MF England ENG Paul Merson 27318+32100051
14 MF France FRA David Ginola 1320+50001+103+32
15 MF England ENG Gareth Barry 28016+400+10006+10
17 MF England ENG Lee Hendrie 39425+42102072
18 MF England ENG Steve Stone 32114+810+10105+30
20 MF Morocco MAR Mustapha Hadji 32317+620+10203+31
21 MF Germany GER Thomas Hitzlsperger 12111+11000000
30 MF Morocco MAR Hassan Kachloul 31217+5200206+10
Forwards
8 FW Colombia COL Juan Pablo Ángel 351626+31210102+24
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin 3069+124001+115+21
16 FW England ENG Peter Crouch 7272000000
19 FW Croatia CRO Boško Balaban 1100+80001+1010
22 FW England ENG Darius Vassell 441430+612100+102+42
Players transferred out during the season

Last updated: 30 May 2002
Source: Competitions

Starting 11
Considering starts in all competitions[4]
No.
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 MS Notes
1 GK Denmark Peter Schmeichel 36
2 RB Wales Mark Delaney 39
4 CB Sweden Olof Mellberg 36
11 CB Republic of Ireland Steve Staunton 35
3 LB England Alan Wright 32
17 RM England Lee Hendrie 35
10 CM England Paul Merson 24 Alpay Özalan has 24 starts
6 CM Netherlands George Boateng 47
30 LM Morocco Hassan Kachloul 25
8 CF Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel 30
22 CF England Darius Vassell 33

Transfers

In
# Pos Player From Fee Date
30MFMorocco Hassan KachloulEngland SouthamptonFreeJune 2001
20MFMorocco Mustapha HadjiEngland Coventry City£2,500,000 + Julian JoachimJuly 2001
1GKDenmark Peter SchmeichelPortugal Sporting CPFreeJuly 2001
4DFSweden Olof MellbergSpain Racing Santander£5,000,000July 2001
19FWCroatia Boško BalabanCroatia Dinamo Zagreb£5,800,000August 2001
16FWEngland Peter CrouchEngland Portsmouth£5,000,000March 2002

Out
# Pos Player To Fee Date
12FWEngland Julian JoachimEngland Coventry CitySwapJuly 2001
1GKEngland David JamesEngland West Ham United£3,500,000July 2001
4DFEngland Gareth SouthgateEngland Middlesbrough£6,500,000July 2001
13DFEngland Neil CutlerEngland Stoke CityFreeJuly 2001
19FWEngland Richard WalkerEngland Blackpool£50,000December 2001
14MFFrance David GinolaEngland EvertonFreeFebruary 2002
27MFEngland Michael StandingEngland Bradford CityFreeMarch 2002

Notes
  1. Boateng was born in Nkawkaw, Ghana, but also qualified to represent the Netherlands internationally and represented them at U-21 level before making his international debut for the Netherlands in November 2001.
  2. Samuel was born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, but also qualified to represent England internationally and would represent them at U-21 level and be called up to the senior team before switching his international allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago and making his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in September 2009.
  3. Tarrant was born in Darlington, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and represented them at U-21 level.
  4. Myhill was born in Modesto, California, United States, but was raised in England from the age of 1, qualifying to represent any of the home nations. He represented England at U-17, U-18, and U-20 level before making his international debut for Wales in March 2008.
  5. Speranza was born in Giessen, West Germany (now Germany), and later represented Italy internationally in futsal.
  6. Kandaurov was born in Zheleznogorsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia), but also qualified to represent Ukraine internationally and made his international debut for Ukraine in August 1992.
  7. Edwards was born in Madeley, England, and represented them at U-16 level, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his parents and would make his international debut for Wales in March 2003.
  8. Nicolas was born in Westminster, England, but also qualified to represent Cyprus internationally and represented them at U-21 level.
  9. Eremenko was born in Rostov-on-Don, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia), but was raised in Finland from the age of 7, gained Finnish citizenship in 2003, and would make his international debut for Finland in October 2003.
  10. Ward was born in Birmingham, England, but also qualifies to represent Northern Ireland internationally through his grandfather and represented them at U-19 and U-21 level before making his international debut for Northern Ireland in August 2011.

References
  1. "Gregory resigns as Villa boss". bbc.co.uk. 24 January 2002.
  2. "Aston Villa 2001-2002 Results - statto.com". Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  3. "FootballSquads - Aston Villa - 2001/02". www.footballsquads.co.uk.
  4. "All Aston Villa players: 2002". www.11v11.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.