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From the official site:

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RESERVES PRIMED FOR VILLA TEST
Posted on: Mon 03 Oct 2011

Dermot Drummy is hoping his reserve team continue their unbeaten start to the season away at Aston Villa this evening, live on Chelsea TV.

The second string coach is without a couple of regulars as a result of international call-ups, but has a squad desperate to get back into action after last week's 3-3 draw against Everton at Cobham, which saw us come from behind three times to snatch a late point.

It took an injury-time Todd Kane equaliser against the Toffees to earn the draw, and Drummy has praise for the character of his young squad.

'It was a pleasing game really because they were quite strong and we played well,' he said. 'You don't want to give goals away so we have to work at that but the type of football we're playing is quite exciting on the eye. The effort and character the boys showed to come back personifies the spirit we are looking for.

'When they got another late goal after we equalised a second time you think the game is dead but Billy Clifford, playing out of position on the wing, can pull something out and has that ability to see things, while Todd Kane has the passion to get in behind and change games. They're massive characteristics in the modern game that you have to show. It's that little bit extra and something different that changes the game for you and we've got that in this squad.

'It is something Todd had to harness. He used to lose his composure and didn't see the game because he was so passionate. Now he is listening and responding to good advice and making fantastic improvements.

'You can't make someone want to run and tackle. I believe it has to be in you to have that competitive edge.'

Kane is one Drummy expects to be without this evening, while Josh McEachran has been called up to the England Under 21 squad.

'We've got a couple away on international duty,' Drummy said. 'We have a fixture when no one else has but it's good for the boys to go away and get some of this experience. Nathaniel Chalobah and Jamal Blackman have been called up by England Under 19s, they've been fantastic.

'Todd and George Saville are on standby and that's a credit to their development, recognition of how far these two have come. The flip side is other players will get a game, and I think they now know what's required in terms of how we play and the effort needed, so youth team players that have been doing well for Adi Viveash will have a taste of reserve football.'

These youngsters will come up against a Villa side Drummy has the utmost respect for, and one he does not expect an easy ride from.

'Villa give you a good game, they use their wingers a lot and they compete,' he explained. 'They may have a couple of first-teamers playing which is great for us, and they're a good side to play.
'They're a top academy, I know [coaches] Tony McAndrew and Gordon Cowans really well, we beat them in the Youth Cup in 2010 and they have a lot of respect in football. They're proven to put players in the Premier League.'

Tonight's game is live on Chelsea TV  and CTV Online from 7pm, Sky channel 421.

[Nibs]

Cheers Hutch - that will give me something to watch tonight.

Poor Josh - I expect he is itching to play. Has gone from sitting on our first team bench (or not even that last couple of games) to sitting on the England U21 bench. Let's hope he at least gets SOME game time for the U 21's, otherwise he'll forget what it's actually like to take part in a competitive match!

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[Backbiter]

Not impressive tonight. Highlight was the embarrassing episode when Rhys Taylor and the ref both committed two of the biggest howlers you'll ever see. Taylor made a Turnbull-style error - gently passed the ball to a Villa striker before tripping him up in an attempt to redeem himself. Clear pen and a red card, but the ref gave a corner!

[Hutch]

I was looking into tonight's Breaking News so managed to miss the penalty incident. Their goal was verging on the farcical though. Rhys Taylor throws the ball straight to a Villa player, gets away with it, and within 90 seconds, gives the ball straight to another Villa player.

Never mind that we had players missing, and that the Villa players (notably Albrighton and Cuella) being more experienced, this wasn't exactly the reserves finest hour. Although they had their moments, including a mad scramble in and around the Villa goal when they looked odds on to equalise, the tendency to give the ball away too easily didn't start or end with Rhys Taylor. But anyway, here's the match report from the official site:

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RESERVE REPORT: ASTON VILLA 1 CHELSEA 0

Posted on: Mon 03 Oct 2011

Summary
The reserve team's unbeaten start to the season came to an end in the Midlands on Monday evening, the game's deciding goal coming in the first half.

Calum Robinson netted the winner after a mistake by Chelsea's goalkeeper Rhys Taylor who was fortunate not to concede a penalty later on. Each side hit the post once and the game was balanced throughout but following two wins and two draws, Dermot Drummy's side which tonight fielded an unfamiliar attack couldn't make the breakthrough.

Team News
Chelsea gave a first start to schoolboy striker Alex Kiwomya who has four goals for the youth team this season, all after coming off the bench. Kiwomya had previous made one sub appearance at this level. Billy Clifford and Kaby Djalo were the wide attacking players and swapped wings during the game.

Ben Gordon played his first match since returning from loan at Peterborough. More usually a left-back, he was asked to play in central defence as international call ups reduced the options.

Jamal Blackman, Nathaniel Chalobah and, for the first time, Todd Kane have been called up by England Under 19s and Josh McEachran is away England Under 21s.

Villa had first team players Ciaran Clark, Carlos Cuellar and Marc Albrighton in their side, Cuellar playing his first match since April after an operation.

First half
The first incident of the game at Hinckley United's ground had the referee reaching for his yellow card as Villa midfielder Chris Herd slid through the back of Conor Clifford. Sam Hutchinson followed into the book on eight minutes for a late challenge on Clark. Both fouls were deep in the Chelsea half and the Blues found it tough to enter Villa territory in the early stages.

Jacob Mellis broke the shackles and won a 12^th minute corner that was sliced towards his own net by Clark but was headed off the line by Albrighton.

Chelsea were gaining a foothold in a game in which both sides were showing commitment in the tackle, and it took a succession of blocks from the Villa rearguard to keep out shots from Billy Clifford and Kiwomya.

Villa pressed back around the midway part of the first half but without troubling Rhys Taylor which made it such a shame when the Wales Under 21 keeper's mistake presented the opening goal.

He had only just got away with kicking the ball poorly when another clearance was cut out by Calum Robinson. Once the Villa centre-forward had the ball under control he had a simple job to score. There were 26 minutes played.
Albrighton almost added a second with a scuffed shot when cutting in off the left flank. It rolled against the post with Taylor fully extended.

Four minutes before the break Hutchinson found space on the right pushing forward and having been fed by Mellis, carefully picked out a return pass but Mellis's shot was blocked by a Villa defender at source.

Second half
Chelsea had territorial advantage in the uneventful opening minutes ahead of Drummy's first substitution. Kiwomya's full reserve debut came to an end on 53 minutes, the youngster having been given only half-chances to score at best. Adam Nditi came on and played wide with Kaby moving into the middle. It was certainly not the tallest of Chelsea second string attacks.

However it did have pace and Nditi raced onto a Mellis pass just before the hour and skipped inside Joshua Webb in search of an opening to shoot, but the Villa defender recovered well with a sliding tackle inside the area with no margin for error.

The second half's big talking point came inside the other area when Taylor was wayward passing out again. This time he gave the ball to Villa's lively 16-year-old Jack Grealish and then looked to take the player down. To the home side's fury the ref gave no penalty. It looked a major escape for Chelsea and for Taylor who would surely have been shown a red card had the decision gone against him.

An unsettled Chelsea keeper then missed claiming the corner which was headed just wide.

Nditi had given Chelsea more penetration and he came closest to setting up a leveller with a lively run and cross that a stretching Kaby, running in beyond the far post, shot over.

Nditi on 73 minutes was unlucky with a lob from 30 yards that settled onto the roof of the net after the Villa keeper had left his box to head clear a Mellis ball forward.

Both sides made too many mistakes with their passing at times but the Blues had only been under the cosh in the opening stages of the game. However they were asked to defend a free-kick and a corner in quick succession and there was a boost to Taylor's confidence when he claimed the latter.

It was Nditi once more with a great cross with 12 minutes to go that allowed George Saville (pictured) to seriously test Villa keeper Calum Barrett. Unfortunately he was up to it with two very good saves from the tall midfielder, the second a tip onto the crossbar.

There was a well-judged tackle by Aziz Deen-Conteh to halt Daniel Johnson as he attempted to run through a tiring Chelsea defence in the closing minutes but the home side had done enough.
Chelsea Rhys Taylor;Sam Hutchinson, Carl Magnay, Ben Gordon, Aziz Deen-Conteh (Rohan Ince 88); George Saville Conor Clifford, Jacob Mellis; Billy Clifford, Alex Kiwomya (Adam Nditi 53), Kaby Djalo.
Unused subs James Russell, Archange Nkumu, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Villa Calum Barrett; Joshua Webb, Carlos Cuellar (Lewis Kinsella h-t), Ciaran Clark, Shane Lowry; Chris Herd, Daniel Johnson, Courtney Cameron; Marc Albrighton, Calum Robinson Joshua Barton 84), Jack Grealish (Michael Drennan 68).
Unused subs Janoi Donacien, Matthew Coton.

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