MASON GLEE
Goal caps fitting Taylor tribute
IT WAS the kind of heart and soul derby that Graham Taylor would have loved. Even as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, two of his clubs, tore and tugged at each other, the Midlands heartlands joined together to produce a suitably rumbustious encounter to pay tribute to their ex-manager.
Joe Mason’s goal, the first by a Wolves striker since August, gave Paul Lambert the chance to claim revenge over the club where he felt he was not given his due in three years in charge as Villa dallied with relegation from the Premier League two years ago.
But yesterday was as much about remembering Taylor as anything.
There were floral tributes in team kits of Wolves, Villa and England. Tony Daley, Mark Delaney and Rob Edwards, three of his former players, now on the coaching staff at these clubs, led the tribute.
The emotional preamble for the man who led Villa to runners-up spot in the top flight, before taking on the impossible job with England, later resurfacing at Wolves for a frustrating 20 months in the mid-90s, did nothing to detract from the passionate intensity of this game. Even in the middle regions of the Championship, there was plenty still at stake.
Steve Bruce’s first game in charge of Villa had been the reverse fixture when Wolves were unlucky to draw 1-1 and were the better team again.
Mason scored in the 15th minute after Sam Johnstone, making his league debut for Villa after his loan move from Manchester United, could only punch out Nouha Dicko’s cross from the right wing. Mason rammed in the rebound.
Ross McCormack headed over from pointblank range after Jordan Amavi’s superb run and cross from down the left wing but Villa were disappointing as they fell to a fifth defeat in nine games following the promising start to Bruce’s managerial reign at the club.
The second half started with an exchange of penalty appeals, each for handball, but Danny Batth, the Wolves captain, appeared to be turning away as McCormack’s shot from the edge of the area struck him. It would therefore have taken a brave referee to penalise Tommy Elphick when the Villa defender seemed to move his arm slightly towards Helder Costa’s cross minutes later.
In the 72nd minute, the scoreboard flashed up the immortal words: ‘Graham Taylor, OBE’. All four sides of the ground chanted his name once again, and it won’t be the last time.