Albert playing on left is so right
WHO needs strikers when you’ve got wingers banging in the goals like Albert Adomah?
The Ghana international struck twice to down mid-table Ipswich, making it five goals in three games and taking his tally for the season into double figures.
That’s more than made up for the absence of Scott Hogan and Jonathan Kodjia – and, as the Villa faithful delighted in chanting, he had scored more than city rivals Birmingham’s whole team ahead of their kick-off at Sheffield United.
The reason for Adomah’s scoring surge after just netting three times last season?
Villa boss Steve Bruce joked: “Maybe nobody’s played him on the left before, maybe it’s a brilliant piece of management!
“Playing on the left, he looks so comfortable coming in on his right foot. He’s a threat and that’s 11 goals he’s scored which is a wonderful return. Long may it continue.
“He wasn’t in the team a few weeks ago but he’s worked hard and got his rewards. There’s no reason now why he can’t set his sights to go and get another ten.”
This fairly routine victory kept Villa well in the automatic promotion hunt but Bruce saw Mile Jedinak join John Terry, Hogan and Kodjia on a busy treatment table.
He groaned: “We don’t know how bad it is but for Mile to come off with a shoulder injury, there’s something wrong.
“December is usually a big month and we have some big games. Can we get through it physically? We look very good at the minute but we need to stop picking up injuries.
“We can’t keep losing our big players – but it opens the door for somebody else and you want them to flourish like Albert has done.”
Adomah’s double helped Villa to a ninth win in 12 games, but it might have been different had Ipswich not had a 15th-minute goal disallowed.
Joe Garner pounced to lash home as Sam Johnstone spilled Martyn Waghorn’s near-post corner but referee Tony Harrington ruled the striker had fouled the Villa keeper.
Immediately, Villa almost capitalised on the let-off as Keinan Davis sprinted on to Neil Taylor’s through ball but Ipswich keeper Bartosz Bialkowski made a smart low stop.
Adomah’s influence began to grow and his fine trickery and cross saw a stretching Davis head just over from six yards on 33 minutes.
Villa led three minutes later as Ipswich wasted several chances to clear a corner before Adomah latched on to Glenn Whelan’s hopeful header and dinked home over Bialkowski.
Town boss Mick McCarthy, who had few other complaints, felt his keeper was fouled in the build-up, similar to the earlier Johnstone-Garner incident at the other end.
McCarthy said: “Prior to the goal, I thought there was a foul on our goalkeeper, equally as much as it was on theirs when we scored – if it was a foul at all.
“But, sadly, both incidents were treated differently. Then again, it was appalling defending after that and playing against good players you get punished.
“But Villa are nothing if not efficient and when they got in front, they made it very difficult for us.”
Indeed, with Adomah sealed the win on 66 minutes, profiting from Dominic Iorfa’s slip.