Barclays Premiership - Match 38

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Season 2008-2009

ASTON VILLA

 v

NEWCASTLE UNITED
  Date: Monday 25th May 2009
  Venue: Villa Park
  Kick Off: 1:00am (AEST), 12:30am (SA), 11:00pm (WA)
  Referee: Chris Foy St Helens, Merseyside
  Australian Live TV: Foxsports 1
  Internet Live TV Coverage: Check www.justin.tv to kick off
  Weather Forecast: 19c
 

 
  Betting:
  Brought to you in association with
 
Villa win Draw Newcastle win
$2.36 $3.30 $2.91
   
  Squads:
  Yet to be announced.
   
  Pre-game comments:
  Newcastle assistant manager Ian Dowie said:
"There is nothing we can do to affect other teams. But I believe that if we win we will stay up - I really do.

"We have got to take care of ourselves and our own result first. It's very, very important that we do that."

"If we do go down, it won't be for lack of trying. I know Alan is 100% committed, and so am I.

"The hours that we've put in have been frightening. If hard work gets you anywhere, Alan should keep the team up.

"I have spent long hours in the office with Alan analysing videos, talking tactics - all looking to get that extra one per cent which will push us over the edge.

"Alan knows how I work, he's embraced some of the innovative things I've tried to do.

"We've made some fundamental changes and some bold decisions and let's hope they pay off.

"There is a saying that fortune favours the brave - lets hope so, because if that's true I think we'll be OK this weekend."

"Andy Carroll's got an ankle ligament injury, and definitely won't be fit. He did it in training, it's very unfortunate."

Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins said:
"We have to win, that is all we can do," said the eight-goal striker.

"We must look after our own result."

"I don't want to be relegated and I don't want this club to be relegated. It would mean everything to me to keep this club up. But we have to stay together and help each other to stay up, that is the only way we will do that.

"I love the fans here, they are the best. That is why we must fight to stay in the Premier League."
 
  Match Stats:
 
 @ Villa Park
 Premier League Only: Villa 5 wins Newcastle 6 wins Draws 5
   
  Form - Last 5 games
 
 Newcastle United
PREM L 0-1 Fulham
PREM W 3-1 Middlesbrough
PREM L 0-3 Liverpool
PREM D 0-0 Portsmouth
PREM L 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
 
 Aston Villa
PREM D 1-1 Middlesbrough
PREM L 1-3 Fulham
PREM W 1-0 Hull City
PREM D 1-1 Bolton Wnaderers
PREM D 1-1 West Ham
   
  Last Season's Fixture:
  Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle United
9 February 2008 - Ref: Lee Mason
Spurs scorer: Bouma 48, Carew 51, 72, 90(pen)
Newcastle scorers: Owen 4
   
 

Match Preview:
  After 4 managers, an owner who wanted the club then didn't and now again, is it fair to say this season has been a disaster.

Who would have thought at the start of the season that on the last day of the season our Premiership status would have been out of our hands?

37 games of toil and disappoint have got us to this point, where 90 minutes of football will decide our Premiership fate.

So basically here are the premitations...
Defeat - Means relegation!
Draw - Means safety if Hull City lose.
Victory - Means safety unless Hull City and sunderland both win.

Remembering Hull City are at home to Manchester United, who are playing in the Champions League Final three days later, and sunderland are at home to Chelsea who themselves are in the FA Cup Final next weekend.

If we are looking for omens then our record at Villa Park is excellent in the Premiership, however, reading the 'Did You Know' at the bottom of the page makes my heart sink.

The inquest to what has gone wrong can happen after the game, relegation or not, but for now we must cross our fingers and hope for one final Premiership twist.

It is going to be one hell of a roller-coaster ride on Sunday night, something we have not experienced for a long time. Nails will be bitten, beer will be drank, hearts will pound, but win lose or draw the one thing we can be proud of this season is ourselves.

The Toon Army will support and sing to the death, lets just hope the players can match them.
 
 
HOWAY THE LADS!!!

 By Row 'S' Army
 
  Did you know?
- It will be 33 years to the day, 24th May 1976, when Newcastle United last won a final top-flight game of the season away from home.  For the record that was a 3-0 success away at Tottenham Hotspur.