Walsall vs Aston Villa. Friendly Match.
Bescot Stadium.
Friday 22 July 2011 09:45, UK
Alex McLeish's reign as Aston Villa manager got off to a winning start as they beat Walsall 3-1 in a friendly on Thursday night.
Darren Bent (8, 36) turned in a pass from Emile Heskey for Villa's first and netted a second from close range after Richard Dunne headed on a corner, before Heskey (39) made it 3-0 when Bent hit the post and the rebound fell his way. Villa were cruising at half-time but could not add any further goals at the Banks's Stadium, and the final scorer was the home side's George Bowerman (80). McLeish, who made the controversial switch from Birmingham last month, gave a debut to goalkeeper Shay Given after his arrival from Manchester City.
