Aston Villa 1 Fulham 0

Villa were on the brink of making history against Fulham – Alex McLeish was left thanking the heavens they didn't.

A hellish home record this season ensured Villa entered this contest with the realisation that failure to collect all three points against the Cottagers would see them equal their worst ever top-flight winless run set in 1921.

Fortunately for boss McLeish, divine intervention came in the form of the angelic- faced Andreas Weimann whose late goal should keep the Villa Park demons at bay for a while at least.

The sense of relief was palpable when the young Austrian found the net and, with the gap between Villa and the relegation zone now at 11 points, Premier League safety should be a certainty.

The financial pressures will dictate that Villa finish as high as possible so McLeish will undoubtedly feel that he has to play his strongest line-up from now until the end of the campaign.

However, Eck must place an eye on next season and it is time for him to start planning for the future by giving youth a crack and getting rid of some of the passengers who are paid big wages but doing little to justify them.

The spiritual heart of the club is Gary Gardner, Barry Bannan, Weimann et al and it might cost Villa a few bob at the end of the season but turning these hungry but raw talents into established Premier League player has to be the aim.

McLeish named an unchanged team from the side which drew 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers last weekend as Gabby Agbonlahor started as a lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Villa showed some positive intent early on and Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer had to be alert to save a long-range effort from Stiliyan Petrov after the ball dropped to the captain on the edge of the box.

The claret and blues dominated possession with Charles N'Zogbia and Albrighton in particular causing problems down the flanks with their pace and trickery.

Petrov picked the pocket of the Fulham defender Philippe Senderos in the 19th minute and Agbonlahor broke clear after he picked up the loose ball and smashed a low shot across goal but Schwarzer got a hand on it and Fulham cleared the danger.

Villa were presented with a free-kick opportunity just outside the box shortly after which saw Stephen Ireland and Petrov work a training ground routine but Schwarzer did not look concerned as the Bulgarian's shot went well wide.

Fulham's best chance of the half came from a well-worked free-kick just before the break but Pavel Pogrebnyak could not get on the end of Andy Johnson's low cross.

The Holte End optimistically appealed that the ball had crossed the line when Albrighton's deep cross was caught by Schwarzer shortly after the break.

But it was the visitors who looked the more threatening in the early stages of the second half and should have taken the lead, but Clint Dempsey was unable to get a touch on Damien Duff's dangerous low cross into the six-yard box.

Agbonlahor released Alan Hutton in the 61st minute and his pass found Albrighton on the corner of the penalty area. The young winger was unlucky not to break the deadlock when his speculative shot crashed against the crossbar.

Fulham used the ball intelligently and fine passing move allowed John Arne Riise to put Duff through. He struck the outside of the post with a shot from an tight angle.

The home fans were getting restless and sang "you don't know what you're doing" when the Villa boss introduced Weimann for N'Zogbia in the 71st minute. But

McLeish was rewarded with the most dramatic finish at Villa Park this season as all three of his substitutions combined in injury time.

Bannan laid the ball off to fellow midfielder Gardner on the egde of the penalty area and he lashed a rasping shot at goal which Schwarzer found too hot to handle.

Weimann latched on to the loose ball and, despite the Fulham keeper's efforts to block, the striker bundled the ball home from close range virtually on all fours.

By Timothy Abraham