This one is a tough pill to swallow, folks. Lots of incidents to discuss, not so much football. Where to start?

Teamsheet seems like a good place – Friedel, Beye, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Young, Heksey, Petrov, Sidwell, Agbonlahor and Carew. Ash played on the right in place of the injured Milner with Heskey on the left flank. I would say that the Warnock / Heskey combination down the left worked a little better than the Beye / Young team down the right.

West Ham applied some early pressure which Villa easily absorbed before asserting some control themselves. Zola was forced to make an early change inside the first 10 minutes when Ilunga pulled up with what looked like a hamstring pull.

Referee Steve Bennett will definitely steal a few headlines and it probably started around the 23rd minute when he turned down a penalty shout for handball which many referees may well have given. If the identical reaction of the closest Villa players, Gabby & Ash, were enough to go on, it would have been a nailed on penalty. Sadly it doesn’t work that way.

Zola must have thought the writing was on the wall for his side when Carlton Cole pulled up just inside the first half hour and immediately signaled to the bench that his night was over. Ironically, that would prove to be the catalyst for West Ham’s win, although few would have thought so at the time.

20 year old Jamaican, Zavon Hines, was brought on in Cole’s place and he proved to be a live wire, fearlessly running at the Villa defenders. He had been on the pitch 15 minutes, right on the stroke of half time, when a surging run on goal forced Habib Beye to make a last ditch challenge which looks to be a fair tackle all day long. Bennett disagreed and gifted the home side a sucker punch they didn’t deserve. They took it with both hands, Mark Noble giving Freidel no chance from the spot.

Beye picked up a booking for his challenge, as did James Collins and Ashley Young for their protests with Bennett after he brought the first half to a close. MON also took time to make his feelings clear on the walk to the tunnel. I think this is what is known as a turning point. Villa were easily the dominant side of the first half and the stats didn’t do them justice.

Martin O’Neill took the unusual step of making a change at half time by bringing Reo-Coker on to enjoy some West Ham hospitality in place of Emile Heskey. Nigel played on the right, Ash switched to his more familiar left wing and the attacking focus would naturally favour the left.

Maybe Bennett realised his error and decided to make atonement minutes into the 2nd half by awarding Villa a slightly generous penalty. Ashley Young stepped up and I have to be honest, he just looks like he’s lacking confidence. It frankly wasn’t surprising that his effort was on the tame side and Green, guessing the right side, was able to save without too much effort.

The quality of Ash’s delivery has become a developing theme of late and he’s really looking like he’s feeling the pressure of being Villa’s main, if not only, creative outlet in midfield. Ironically, I had just finished Tweeting that he couldn’t buy a goal right now when what looked to me like another errant delivery into the box sailed over the stranded Green and nestled in the top corner. I’m sure he’ll claim it as deliberate and they all count, but it seemed fitting that it was actually another over cooked cross that brought Villa back on terms.

West Ham looked vulnerable at that point as if they knew they didn’t have the quality to take the lead again without the assistance of the referee. Everything was against them. Villa initially showed signs that they felt the same way and it wouldn’t be long before they took the lead.

Inexplicably, West Ham were suddenly given some room to play and they took up the offer. Villa, perhaps hopeful that the home side might be grateful for the draw, felt themselves being pegged back and had little response beyond clearing their lines with a hopeful ball up top.

Substitute Hines was a constant thorn in the sides of the Villa defenders, his pace and tenacity left more experienced players looking quite stretched on numerous occasions. West Ham have themselves quite a prospect there, a terrier who will make a nuisance of himself and bag goals too.

Disaster struck with 5 minutes to go when Habib Beye was booked for the second time for what looked like a pretty innocuous challenge. Bennett saw otherwise and Beye was gone. Could this be another turning point late on? In a nutshell, yes.

As pleasing as it was to see Luke Young back in action, 5 minutes to go, in place of John Carew, down to 10 men, protecting a delicate point, not exactly the ideal scenario.

4 minutes of additional time were indicated and with 3 played, Hines burst into the box and was somehow able to dig out a shot that beat Freidel. Unbelievable. Stunned.

And there you have it. A game against a team in terrible form, a club in turmoil, two players apparently pulling hamstrings in the first half hour and Villa still conspire to come away with nothing, ably assisted by the inept Steve Bennett.

There’s not much to add really. It was a disappointing evening and a fantastic opportunity to re-join the top four spurned. The teams around us will be breathing a sigh of relief and also wondering whether we really are in the hunt for the top places after all.

2 points from 3 teams deep in the bottom half, albeit on the road, don’t exactly shout our credentials out.

I’m off to sulk and throw darts at my new Steve Bennett dart board.