Jedinak’s Villa fail in EPL bid
SOCCEROOS captain Mile Jedinak won’t be joining Australia teammates Mat Ryan and Aaron Mooy in the Premier League next season after Aston Villa’s heartbreaking 1-0 Championship playoff loss to Fulham.
Jedinak, who skippered Crystal Palace through the Wembley playoff five years ago, was pushing to return to England’s top flight two years after heading north to Birmingham and was substituted late in the second half soon after picking up a yellow card.
The 33-year-old, who scored all three goals in the Socceroos’ World Cup playoff win over Honduras in November, did not speak with media after the match and is now due to link up with Bert van Marwijk’s national side in Turkey. A crowd of 85,243 were on hand for the match known as the richest in world sport, with victory worth at least $280million through television payments and other benefits.
It wasn’t to be for Villa, who had an extra man for the final 20 minutes after Denis Odoi was sent off for a brutal challenge on Tom Grealish. Villa had its first opportunity after 14 minutes when Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli delivered a clearance straight to Robert Snodgrass. The Scotsman’s through-ball failed to connect, however, and from then Fulham began to dictate terms.
They asked questions of Villa’s dogged defence during the opening stages but scored with their first genuine chance after 22 minutes.