WITH BOTH TEAMS HAVING secured top-flight status barely a week ago, there was the sense of two grateful shipwrecked survivors meeting on the beach with only a football for company. Alas, any sense of joyous abandon was quickly dispelled by this dour offering. It was always going to be too much to ask for a decent game to end this abysmal season at Elland Road.

Peter Reid, Leeds United’s new manager, had asked his team to conjure a victory so that maybe — just maybe — the fans could somehow, for one afternoon, banish from their memories an annus horribilis that has made them one of the nation’s laughing stocks.

At first glance, the scoreline would indicate that his team responded magnificently. However, the truth is that Leeds did not deserve this victory and — after Joey Gudjonsson had cancelled out Ian Harte’s eighth-minute free kick goal with a sumptuous strike from almost 30 yards, the hightlight of the game — they found themselves chasing shadows for most of the second half.

That Nick Barmby and Mark Viduka managed to score in the last ten minutes will have merely tormented Graham Taylor, the Aston Villa manager, reminding him that their Achilles heel is an inability to finish off inferior opponents. “Our away record is there for everyone to see,” Taylor said. “It’s not really unlucky because often when we’ve been on top we haven’t been able to finish off teams.”

Reid will not have been persuaded that his team are a close season away from a complete renaissance. Gudjonsson twice forced excellent saves from Paul Robinson and the young England goalkeeper had to be equally agile to deny Thomas Hitzlsperger and Jlloyd Samuel during a harrowing first half. “We tidied it up at half-time,” Reid said. “The fans are desperate for us to do well. The attitude was great and we looked as though we were hard to beat. We rode the storm and got the two goals.”

Barmby converted Dominic Matteo’s flick-on from Harte’s corner in the 81st minute before Viduka rounded Stefan Postma and placed the ball into the corner of the net in the last minute. “When you look at 19 defeats, it’s too many,” Reid said. “It’s going to be a busy summer for me and I’ll be looking to speak to Harry (Kewell) as soon as possible.”

Kewell was absent because of a family bereavement. Having sacked Terry Venables, self-appointed professor of tactics, it would seem that Professor John McKenzie, the new Leeds chairman, has settled for a manager in the mould of a PE teacher. At least cold showers come cheap.

Leeds United (4-4-2): P Robinson 7 — D Mills 4 (sub: N Barmby, 70min 5), Duberry 5, L Radebe 6 I Harte 5 — G Kelly 6, D Matteo 5 (sub: M Kilgallon, 87), E Bakke 4 (sub: S McPhail, 46 5) J Wilcox 4 — M Viduka 7, S Johnson 5. Substitutes not used: N Martyn, J Burns. FORM: WWLWLD.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): S Postma 6 — J Samuel 5 (sub: I Taylor, 84), O Mellberg 6, R Johnsen 6 (sub: D Dublin, 89), P Whittingham 6 — S Moore 6 (sub: S Cooke, 75), T Hitzlsperger 7, J Gudjonsson 7, G Barry 7 — D Vassell 6, Allback 6. Substitutes not used: P Enckelman, L Ridgewell. FORM: LWLDWD.

Shots on target: (h) 8 (a) 7. Fouls: (h) 18 (a) 14. Offsides: (h) 7 (a) 1