Aston Villa must resort to the Intertoto Cup, but Olof Mellberg is guaranteed to be in Europe next season with Juventus after seven years at Villa Park. As a farewell gesture he arranged for shirts emblazoned with “thanks for your support” to be given to each of the 3,200 visiting team’s fans at Upton Park yesterday.

Greater ambiguity surrounds the future of Gareth Barry, a Liverpool target. If this was Barry’s last game for Villa, he also provided a leaving present, a second-half goal. “We want to do our utmost to keep him,” Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, said. “We will try and guarantee him Champions League football – in the next 23 years.” That was a reference to how tough it is to break into the top four. Villa finished sixth, while West Ham, consistently average despite their chronic injury list, ended in tenth. “When we come back I’ll have the competition for places to make us better,” Alan Curbishley, the manager, said.

Last season’s stressful climax was replaced by carefree, end-of-term insouciance. West Ham took the lead in the eighth minute through Nolberto Solano’s fine free kick but the advantage lasted only six minutes before Ashley Young rolled in a lazy, low shot. After Barry’s goal, Villa led until two minutes from time when Dean Ashton swivelled to lash a shot past Scott Carson.

West Ham United (4-4-2): R Green 8 – L Neill 6, J Tomkins 6, A Ferdinand 6, G McCartney 6 (sub: J Paintsil, 46min 6) – N Solano 8 (sub: F Sears, 80), S Parker 7, M Noble 7, L Boa Morte 7 – R Zamora 6 (sub: C Cole, 73), D Ashton 8. Substitutes not used: R Wright, H Mullins. Booked: Neill, Parker.

Aston Villa (4-3-3): S Carson 7 – O Mellberg 7, M Laursen 6, Z Knight 6, W Bouma 6 – N Reo-Coker 7, S Petrov 6, G Barry 7 – G Agbonlahor 7, J Carew 7 (sub: M Harewood, 87), A Young 7. Substitutes not used: S Taylor, M Salifou, W Routledge, S Maloney. Booked: Mellberg, Petrov.

Referee: M Dean
Attendance: 34,969

End-of-term report

West Ham

Season’s summary: A story a day last season, but this term only the tedium of mid-table.
How to improve: Hope to cure the catalogue of injuries.
Player of season: Robert Green.

Aston Villa

Season’s summary: Feelgood factor created by welter of goals and huge attendances.
How to improve: Replace Olof Mellberg, the defender, effectively.
Player of season: Ashley Young.